Nandankanan Zoo likely to allow night visits; master plan submitted for expansion

If everything goes as per plan, visitors will get a chance to visit and see animals at the Nandankanan zoological park even during night hours. A master plan to keep the Nandankanan Zoo open for visitors for a specified period, from 6 pm to 7 pm or 7 pm to 8 pm, has been submitted to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

The master plan has been prepared as per the Government of India instructions. Earlier, all zoo authorities used to submit a master plan for 10 years, but this time the master plan has been submitted for 20 years, informed PCCF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests), Sushil Kumar Popli on Wednesday.

According to Popli, a proposal has been given in the master plan for the expansion of the area of Nandankanan Zoo by adding Krushnaprasad and Chudanga forest areas. As a result, the total area of Nandankan Zoo will be 1,043 hectares.

“A proposal for allowing night visits to the zoo has been mooted. As per the proposal, we will allow visitors during late evening hours for educational awareness. Films will also be shown and selected people will be allowed to walk around enclosures of nocturnal animals. All these proposals are subject to government approval,” said Popli.

Nandankanan authorities informed that at present there are 167 species and over 4000 animals at the zoo. There are plans to increase the number of animal species to 250.

There are proposals for upgradation, addition of new enclosures, and construction of a new safari in the master plan.