'We are not a cabaret': Japan zoo bans solo male visitors after female guests, owner get repeatedly harassed

A petting zoo in Japan has banned men from entering alone after repeated cases of harassment towards its female owner and guests.

Situated in Tochigi Prefecture in Japan, the zoo opened in March with small animals like dogs, rabbits, otters, and micro-pigs, that visitors can feed and interact with.

But on Jan. 26, the zoo's director took to social media to announce that men were banned from entering alone, effectively immediately.

"Too many have come with harmful intentions. My heart hurts from the stress," she wrote on X.

"We are not a cabaret, so if you really want to interact with animals, please come with your friends and family."

On Jan. 28, the zoo also uploaded a sign on its Instagram page.

A sign stated that "Men are not allowed to visit alone. Too many invitations to go out on dates, it's getting really annoying,".

The owner, Misa Mama, said that solo male patrons had repeatedly approached and attempted to strike up conversations with her and female visitors.

They'd even made flirtatious or inappropriate remarks, which made her feel uncomfortable, reported the South China Morning Post.

However, as the zoo's owner, she struggled to openly reject them or turn them away, and instead felt obliged to smile and respond politely.

"If I could, I would only prohibit those who misbehave. But as a woman managing the zoo alone, I fear potential retaliation, leaving me no choice but to enforce this rule," she added.

While some accused her of "blatant gender discrimination", others expressed their support for her rule.

Some people advised her to hire male staff.

Another quipped: "You should use AI to generate photos of handsome men holding animals, write 'this is my boyfriend' on them, and put them up in your store."

Top image from iyashi_nasu/Instagram