As you leave the zoo from the West Gate, walk along Shinobazu Pond. This huge pond is divided into three: "Boat Pond"(Boto-ike), "Lotus Pond" (Hasuno-ike) and the "Cormorant Pond" (U no sumu-ike). This last pond may be a little foul-smelling and hosts a good-sized population of cormorants. Cormorant (u) : Large, voracious diving bird with webbed toes and a hooked beak. This bird is famous for "U kai" in the Nagara River. "U kai" is a traditional Japanese fishing method. Fishermen use the leashed cormorants to catch the fish and then have the bird spit the catch out. Pretty imaginative, eh? and very effective! Each season provides you with a different view. Spring is the season of lotus leaves. In the summer, there are flowers. In autumn you find fruits and in winter the pond is bare.