OSAKA -- At Osaka's Tennoji Zoo, it's not uncommon to see lions dozing on rocks with one of Japan's tallest skyscrapers looming in the background.
The zoo, which opened on Jan. 1, 1915, as a city-run facility in the northern section of Tennoji Park in Osaka's Shinsekai district, originally exhibited about 60 species and covered only a fifth of its current area. Over the zoo's 110 years, it has seen its role shift from public entertainment to the conservation of rare species -- and more plans are in the works to further boost animal welfare.
