Zoological Garden




Timing 0800 to 1800 hours (summer)
0900 to 1700 hours (winter) except Friday
Best Time to visit Throughout the year
Main Attraction 22,000 varieties of Animals and Birds
Covered Area 214 acres
Designed by Major Weinman of Sri Lanka and Carl Hagenbeck of West Germany

The National Zoological Park is one of the most relaxing places in Delhi as it proves to be an ideal picnic spot. This zoo offers complete protection from the scorching heat with its dense growth of trees. The excellent ambience and maintenance of this zoo has contributed in a big way to this zoo becoming one of the best zoos in Asia. This zoological park also has an ancient administrative building inside which leads into an informative library. This library is a repository of information about the different birds and animals in the zoo.

This zoo houses various animals that are hot favorite among children like Chimpanzee, Hippopotamus, Wild Buffalo from Africa, Spider Monkeys, Lions from the Gir Forest, Zebras etc. There are also various aquatic species like Emu, Hyenas, Deer (Axis, Fallow and Hog varieties), Jaguar and Peafowl. King Cobra and Pythons contribute to the reptile population. The trees that are found here are about 200 different types and they include the Lahura trees that can withstand any drought, Bistendu trees from Delhi and the Alamtas Hedges are a deep yellow in color.

History

The National Zoological Park was set up in 1952 in Delhi as the Indian Board for Wildlife felt the need for setting up a wildlife reserve and to provide entertainment to hundreds of visitors who come here. There was a committee formed by wildlife lovers under the leadership of Indira Gandhi and the then Chief Election Commissioner. The first meeting of the party was held on the 9th of September, 1953. It was during this meeting that the land between Purana Quila and Humayun’s tomb was selected for constructing the park. It was unanimously decided that the Central Government would be responsible for setting up the park and once it was up and running, the same would be handed over to Delhi Government, specifically to the Forest Department of Delhi. The first official who was appointed by Delhi Government to set up the zoo on 1st October 1955 was ND Bachkheti.

Within four years, there was reasonable progress in the construction of the zoo as most of the water works, roads, conservatories for animals, lawns and pavements in the Northern area of the zoo were almost completed by 1959. Once the zoo was complete, individuals and State Governments started gifting animals and birds to the park. The inauguration of the zoo was done by one of the ministers in Delhi Government, Punjab Rao Deshmukh. In those days, it was simply known as the Delhi Zoo. It was named as National Zoological Park during 1982. Since then, there have been continuous advancements being made in the zoo till now. The infrastructure and facilities here are top class and it is not without reason that this zoo is one of the best and biggest in Asia. Due to all its features and facilities, the National Zoological Park is one of the iconic parks in the country.

Exhibits

This zoo houses various animals that are a hot favorite among children like Chimpanzee, Hippopotamus, Wild Buffalo from Africa, Spider Monkeys, Lions from the Gir Forest, Zebras etc. There are also various aquatic species like Emu, Hyenas, Deer (Axis, Fallow and Hog varieties), Jaguar and Peafowl. King Cobra and Pythons contribute to the reptile population that is centered on the Reptile home complex which is situated underground. There are huge groups of water birds that flock to the National zoological park during the migratory seasons. Tourists from across the globe come here to have a look at the rare species of birds and animals.

The trees found here are about 200 different types and they include the Lahura trees that can withstand any drought, Bistendu trees from Delhi and the Alamtas Hedges are deep yellow in color. These bistendu trees are the trademark of Delhi and are lined up in a neat format which can be identified from a distance.

Conservation Breeding

The Central Zoo authority has undertaken many conservation breeding activities inside the zoo to save certain species of birds and animals like the Asiatic Lion, red jungle fowl, swamp deer, Indian rhinoceros, royal tigers of Bengal and brow antlered deer.

This programme has been especially successful in the case of brow antlered deer. The conservative breeding started on them during 1962 made them resilient to all kinds of conditions and they could adjust anywhere, which made them to be sent to far off states like Hyderabad, Mysore, Ahmadabad, Kanpur and Lucknow.

Facilities in the Zoo

Most of the tourists who visit the zoo take the services of the mobile vans that have open roofs. This is not only the perfect way to have a look around the zoo, but it also offers protection from the scorching heat of Delhi. The zoo charges nominal rates for these vans. The zoo houses a canteen inside and there are many drinking water points inside. However, tourists are advised to carry their own water bottles while going to the zoo. There are also nice and shady parks inside the zoo which serve as ideal picnic spots for the family.

How to Reach

Tourists will be thrilled to find that they can reach the National Zoological Park by almost all modes of transport in Delhi like buses, metro rails, trains, auto-rickshaws and taxis.

By Metro

Khan Market is the metro train station that is the nearest to the zoo.

By Train

The Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station is the closest as it is just about 4km from the zoo.

By Air

The Indira Gandhi International Airport is the closest as it is about 22km from the zoo.

Visitor Information

For Timings & Tariff: Click Here

Best Time to Visit

The winter season that lasts between the months October and March is the best time to visit the park as the weather is excellent in Delhi then.

OUR PLANING

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