If you have visited the historic monuments of Hyderabad and want some change then Nehru Zoological Park is the most suitable option. Also known as Hyderabad Zoo Nehru Zoological Park is spread over on sprawling 380 acres or 150 hectares of land. This zoo is one of the most visited tourists’ destinations in Hyderabad. It is located at Bahadurpura close to Mir Alam Tank in Hyderabad in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The Hyderabad Zoo was actually established on 26th October 1959 but opened to visitors on 6th October 1963. This is named after the first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.The Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh is currently managing the Nehru Zoological Park. The zoo is situated close to Mir Alam Tank which is a 200 years old tank spread over an area of 600 acres and provides natural habitat to several migratory birds. In this lake the Andhra Pradesh Government has started ferry boat rides and speed boat rides for visitors and that is why it is big crowd catcher. The entire zoo provides the natural habitat like atmosphere to its animals, reptiles and birds. The rolling landscaping and large enclosures give animals enough space to roam around. There are more than 100 species of birds, animals as well as reptiles can be explored at the zoo.Some of these are as under:
- Indian rhino
- Asiatic Lion
- Tiger
- Panther
- Wild oxen
- Gaur
- Orang-utan
- Deer
- Kangaroos
- Crocodiles
- Python
- Antelopes
- Jaguar
- Indian Mongoose
- Green iguana
- Sacred Baboon
- Giant tortoise (Geochelone Gigantea)
- Indian Pond Terrapin Turtle
- Indian cobra
- Green pigeon
- Black headed Ibis
- Painted Storks
This zoo has a special arrangement of creating nocturnal environment in which night and day like environment can be created artificially in order to make the night creature active while in the day time so that visitors can watch their activities.This section houses the following animals:
- Fruit bats
- Slender Loris
- Slow Loris
- Civets
- Leopard Cats
- Hedgehogs
- Barn owls
- Mottled wood owls
- Fishing owls
- Great horned owls
Nehru Zoological Park is India’s the biggest zoo housing more than 250 species and over 2450 animals, birds and reptiles. The zoo is also a conservation centre also for endangered animals. Many such animals are bred here and sent to other sanctuaries and deer parks in order to save their species. The attractions at the zoo include various safari trips which include Lion Safari, Tiger Safari, Bear Safari, Butterfly Safari, etc. there is a natural history museum and a prehistoric dinosaur park in the park to make visitors aware about their natural history. For kids elephant rides are conducted and apart from that there is a children’s train which is a favourite among kids. There is an ice cream parlour and a restaurant also here for visitors.Opening daysThe zoo is open on all days of week except on Mondays.Visiting timingsVisiting timings change according to season. Generally it is open from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm.AddressNehru Zoological Park,Bahadurpura west, Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh-500064, IndiaContact Number+91 – 040- 24477355Website: www.hyderabadzoo.inRUCHI MAHAJAN