Chiba City Zoological Park, Animal Science Museum - Forest of Life, Tropical Rainforest, Wonder of Rainforest -

The Animal Science Museum, located within Chiba City Zoological Park, has undergone a complete renovation of its displays area, given that it is nearly 40 years old. This is a zoological museum themed on the tropical rainforest, a treasure trove of life, with the aim of getting to know and learn about ecosystems and taking action for the future.
While observing the plants and animals that inhabit the rainforest, such as gorillas, birds, and nocturnal animals, up close, displays before and after the zoo convey a sense of the interconnectedness of life and the preciousness of the global environment.

As the Zoological Science Museum is the only large indoor facility in the zoo, it houses a lecture room, nursing room, multi-purpose toilets, first aid room, general information desk and other functions, and so it needed to be able to accommodate a wide range of users.
In recent years, zoos overseas have begun to focus more on conservation and protection from the perspective of animal welfare and nature education, and zoos are positioned as places for social education. The zoo's strong desire to preserve wildlife, not just as a place for recreation, but as a place to pass on the lives of animals to the future and connect people with nature, is reflected in displays message.

The entrance area is a space where a lounge and educational displays coexist so that a variety of users can stay, and a 12-meter-tall symbolic tree welcomes visitors while making use of the existing architecture. The diorama of plants molded on Borneo is of the same quality as a museum, and has been transformed into something that stimulates the intellectual curiosity of both adults and children.
In order to build a better relationship between the natural environment and human society, we aim to have zoos that are close to the local community act as cogs in the wheel, providing a place that gives citizens an opportunity to think for themselves and having the zoos themselves play a role as touchpoints for social issues.