- National Zoological Park Delhi
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National Zoological Park Date opened 1959[1] Location Delhi, India Land area 176 acres (71 ha)[2] Coordinates 28°36′16″N 77°14′46″E / 28.6044359°N 77.2461981°ECoordinates: 28°36′16″N 77°14′46″E / 28.6044359°N 77.2461981°E Number of animals 127 (2008)[2] Number of species 1347 (2008)[2] Memberships CZA[3] Website www.nzpnewdelhi.gov.in The National Zoological Park (originally Delhi Zoo) is a 176-acre (71 ha) zoo near the Old Fort in Delhi, India. The zoo is home to about 1350 animals representing almost 130 species of animals and birds from around the world.
The zoo can be seen on foot or using a battery-operated vehicle which can be rented as the zoo.[4] Visitors are not permitted to bring any food other than drinking water, but there is a canteen in the zoo.[5]
Contents
History
In 1952 the Indian Board for Wildlife created a committee to look into creating a zoo for Delhi. The government of India was to develop the zoo and then turn it over to Delhi as a working enterprise. In 1953 the committee approved the location of the zoo, and in October 1955 it assigned N. D. Bachkheti of the Indian Forest Service to oversee the creation of the zoo.[6]
Initially Major Aubrey Weinman of the Ceylon Zoological Garden (now the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka) was asked to help draw the plans for the zoo, but because he was not available for the long term, Carl Hagenbeck of the Zoological Garden of Hamburg was hired. In March 1956, Hagenbeck presented a preliminary plan, which included the recommendation to use moated enclosures for the new zoo. The plan was modified as needed to account for local conditions, and approved by the Indian government in December 1956.[6]
By the end of 1959, the Northern part of the zoo was complete, and animals which had been arriving for some time and which had been housed in temporary pens were moved into their permanent homes. The park was opened on 1 November 1959 as the Delhi Zoo. In 1982 it was officially renamed to National Zoological Park, with hopes that it could become a model for other zoos in the country.[6]
Exhibits
Going to the right from the entrance brings visitors to the enclosures for animals including chimpanzee, hippopotamus, spider monkey, African wild buffalo, Gir lion, and Zebras. Going to the left, visitors will see animals including migratory birds like peafowl, and well as hyenas, macaques, and jaguars in the swamps that were designed for water birds. In the center of the zoo is the underground reptile house.[4]
Conservation breeding
The zoo is part of conservation breeding programs of the Central Zoo Authority for the royal Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, swamp deer, Asiatic lion, brow antlered deer, and red jungle fowl.[2]
The breeding program for the brow antlered deer has been so successful, starting with a pair of these deer in 1962, that individuals from the herd have been distributed to zoos in Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Junagarh, and Mysore, and have acclimated well to all of these locations.[5]
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black bear
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deer
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antelope
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deer
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lion-tailed macaque
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crocodile
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White tiger at Delhi zoo
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Leopard
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Rhino
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Emu
See also
- List of Botanical Gardens in India and the "Indian portion" of the international List of botanical gardens
- Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary, Delhi
- Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Delhi
- Sultanpur National Park, bordering Delhi in adjoining Gurgaon District, Haryana
- Okhla Sanctuary, bordering Delhi in adjoining Uttar Pradesh
Notes
- ^ "List of Zoos in India, from 1800 until now". kuchbhi.com. Kuchbhi. http://www.kuchbhi.com/india/61-articles/258-list-of-zoos-in-india-from-1800-until-now.html. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Statistics". nzpnewdelhi.gov.in. National Zoological Park. http://nzpnewdelhi.gov.in/statistics.htm. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ "Search Establishment". cza.nic.in. CZA. http://cza.nic.in/htmlreports/htmlsearchzoo.aspx. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Delhi Zoo". bharatonline.com. Bharat Online. http://www.bharatonline.com/delhi/tourist-attractions/zoological-park.html. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Delhi Zoo". delhilive.com. Delhi Live. http://www.delhilive.com/delhi-zoo-0. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ a b c "Statistics". nzpnewdelhi.gov.in. National Zoological Park. http://nzpnewdelhi.gov.in/statistics.htm. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
References
External links
Zoos, aquariums, and aviaries Types of zoos Conservation Lists Animals Other topics - Animals in captivity
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Categories:- Parks in Delhi
- Zoos in India
- Visitor attractions in Delhi
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