20 most Popular Zoos in INDIA

India is a big country with plenty of species of mammals, reptiles and fauna. Today I am going to share most Popular Zoos in India.

1. NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK

• The zoo is also known as Delhi Zoo situated near Old Fort  in Delhi.
• The zoo was opened in 1959.
• Area occupied by zoo is 176 Acres.
• 1347 Animals of 127 Species  are kept in the zoo.
• Incident - A man name Maqsood fell in the White Tiger's Cage accidentally. The people started throwing stones at the Tiger. The man was carried away and mouled by enraged tiger after some minutes.
• Different animals and Birds are kept in the zoo for public attraction like - Chimpanzees, Hippopotamus, Spider Monkey, African Wild Buffaloes, Giraffes, Gir Lion, Zebras, Peafowl, Hyenas, Macaques, Jaguars, Bengal Tigers, Indian Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer, Asiatic Lion, Brow Antlered Deer and Red Jungle Fowl etc.

2. JAIPUR ZOO

• The zoo was opened in 1877.
• The zoo is located in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• Jaipur zoo is located near Albert Hall Museum.
• Area occupied by zoo is 35 acres.
• 550 animals are kept in zoo.
• Endangered animals like Large Indian Civet, Black Panther, Flamingo, Guineafow etc. can be seen easily. Which are attractions for public at large.
• The zoo also provide shelter to many different Mammals,Birds and Reptiles. 

3. PATNA ZOO

• The zoo is also known as Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan or Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden.
• The park was first established asBotanical Garden in 1969.
• The zoo is located in Patna, Bihar.
• The park was open to public as zoo in1973.
• Area occupied by zoo is 152.95 acres.
• 800 animals of 110 speciesare kept in the zoo.
• Species of animals are 70, Fish - 35, Snakes - 5.
• Animals like Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Elephants, Himalayan Black Bear, Jackal, Black Bucks, Spotted Deer, Peafowl, Hill Myna, Gharial,  Phython, Indian Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Zebra, Emu, White Peacock etc. take shelter under this zoo.

4. KANPUR ZOO

• The zoo is also known as Allen Forest Zoo located at Uttar Pradesh.
• The zoo was opened in 1974.
• Area occupied by zoo is 190 acres.
• Mammals in the zoo include White Asian Tigers, Cheetah, Leopard, Jaguar, Hyena, Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Sloth Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Monkeys, Langur, Baboons, Musk Deer, Deer and Antelope, Chimpanzees, Orangutans etc.
• A rainwater lake is attraction at zoo. 
• Life size Dinosaur Sculpture also attract people.

5. LUCKNOW ZOO

• The zoo is also known as Prince of Wales Zoological Garden or Lucknow Zoological Garden. 
• The zoo was established in 1921.
• It is located in the heart city ofUttar Pradesh.
• Area occupied by zoo is 71.6 acres.
• 911 animals are kept in the zoo.
• 102 species are available in the zoo.
• Only Kanpur Zoo and Lucknow Zoo has Orangutans in all over India.
• The Zoo is home to 463 mammals,298 birds, and 72 reptiles representing97 species.
• Kind of species includes-  Royal Bengal Tiger, White Tiger, Lion, Wolf, Hoolock Gibbon, Himalayan Black Bear, Indian Rhinoceros, Black buck, Swamp Deer, Barking Deer, Hog Deer, Asiatic Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Common Otters, Hill Mynahs, Giant Squirrels, Great Pied Hornbill, Golden Pheasant, Silver Pheasant etc. 
• Breed  of these species are successful such as Swamp Deer, Black Buck, Hog Deer and Barking Deer, White Tiger, Indian Wolf and several pheasants.

6. ALIPORE ZOO

• The zoo is also known as Alipore Zoological Garden or Calcutta Zoo. 
• The garden was opened as zoo since 1876.
• The zoo is situated at Kokata, West Bengal.
• Area occupied by zoo is 46.5 acres.
• 1,266 animals are kept in the zoo and number of species are 108.
• Rare Species also get shelter under this zoo like - Banteng, Great Indian One horned Rhinoceros, Crowned Crane, Lion Tailed Macaque, southern Cassowary, Wild Yak, Giant Eland, Slow Loris, Echidna etc. 
• The zoo set a record when around 75,000 people visited the zoo on 1 January, 2015.

7. THRISSUR ZOO

• Formerly known as TRICHUR ZOOsituated at Thrissur city of Kerala.
• The zoo was opened in 1885.
• Area occupied by zoo is 13.5 acres.
• The zoo has Botanical Garden, Zoological Garden, Art Museum and Natural History Museum in itscompound.
• The zoo providing shelter to Lions, Tigers, Deer, Sloth Bears, Monkeys, Hippopotamus, Camels, Cobras, Kraits, Vipers, Rat, Snakes, Pink Flamingos, Mithun of north-eastern hills and Lion tailed Macaques.
• Special building is maintained only for snakes known as Snakes House. 

8. CHATTBIR ZOO

• The zoo is also known as 'Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park located near Zirakpur in Chandigarh.
• The zoo was opened in 1977.
• The Royal Bengal Tiger is pride of Chattbir Zoo.
• The zoo is open every day  Except Mondays.
• Lion Safari is also major attraction for visitors.
• Hundreds of different Mammals, Birds, Reptiles are kept in the zoo.

9. MAHARAJBAGH ZOO

• The zoo is situated in Nagpur,  Maharasthra.
• Formerly it was known as Bhosala Dynasty.
• The zoo was established in 1894.
• The zoo is one of the smallest but famous zoo in India.
• About 600 species of different animals are kept in the zoo.
• Leopards, Lions, Tigers,  Peacock etc. are major attractions for public.
• Sculptures also increases its beauty.

10. VANDALUR ZOO

• Vandaur Zoo is also known as Arignar Anna Zoological Park located at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The zoo was opened on 24 July, 1985.
• The zoo is located within the Vandalur Forest Reserve Area.
• Total area of park is 1,490 acres and zoo area is of 1,300 acres.
• It is Largest Zoological Garden in India.
• Total number of animals in zoo are 1,657 of 163 species.
• Major attraction of animals in zoo are - Tiger, Leopard, Lion, Wild Dog, Lion Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Hyena, Jackal, Black bucks, Indian Bison, Barking Deer, Sambhar, Spotted Deer, Crocodiles, Snakes, Water Birds etc. 
• As on 2010, there were about 47 species of mammals, 63 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians, 25 species of fishes and 10 species of insects.

11. GUWAHATI ZOO

• Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden popularly known as Guwahati Zoo. 
• The zoo is located in the Guwahati, Assam.
• Area occupied by zoo is 432 acres.
• The zoo is largest in north -east regjon.
• The zoo is located within theHengrabari Reserve Forest, Guwahati in Assam.
• The zoo is home to 895 animals, birds and reptiles representing almost 113 species of animals and birds from around the world.
• Animals of attraction are Chimpanzees, White Rhinos, Black Rhinos, Zebras, Ostriches, Giraffes of Africa, Puma, Jaguar, Liama ofSouth America and Kangaroos ofAustralia.

12. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ZOO

• The zoo is also known as Trivandrum Zoo located in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.
• Area occupied by zoo is 55 acres.
• The zoo was open to general public in 1857.
• Woodlands, Lakes, Lawns etc. increases its beauty.
• 82 species of different animals are available in the zoo.
• Major attractions of animals includes - Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Royal Bengal Tiger, White Tiger, Leopard, Nine Asian Elephants etc.
• The zoo has also kept African animals like - Giraffes, Hippos, Zebras, Cape Buffaloes etc. 

13. RAJIV GANDHI ZOO

• The another name of zoo is Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park.
• The zoo is located in the city of Pune, Maharashtra.
• The zoo was opened on 14 March, 1999.
• Area occupied by zoo is 130 acres.
• The zoo is managed by Pune Municipal Corporation.
• 362 animals are kept in the zoo.
• Reptiles includes Indian Rock Python, Cobra, Snakes, Vipers, Indian Crocodiles, 
• White Tiger and Bengal Tiger is also a big attraction for public.
• 22 species of Snakes are available.

14. SAKKARBAUG ZOO

• Sakkarbaug Zoo is also known as Junagadh Zoo located at Junagadh City of Gujarat.
• The zoo was established in 1863.
• Area occupied by zoo is 490 acres.
• 1,223 animals are kept in the zoo.
• In 2008, zoo was providing home to 525 Mammals, 597 Birds and 111 Reptiles.

15. PADMAJA NAIDU HIMALAYAN ZOO

• The zoo is also known as Darjeeling Zoo located in Darjeeling City of West Bengal.
• The zoo was established on 14 August, 1958.
• Area occupied by zoo is 67.56 acres.
• 156 animals are kept in the zoo.
• The zoo is successful to take conservation of endangered species like Snow Leopards, Red Pandas which is big attraction of the zoo.

16. NEHRU ZOOLOGICAL PARK

• Another names of zoo are Hyderabad Zoo or Zoo Park located in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• The zoo was established on 26 October, 1959 but opened to public on 6 October, 1963.
• Area occupied by zoo is 380 acres.
• 1100 animals of 100 species are kept in the zoo.
• Animals like Indian Rhinos, Asiatic Lion, Bengal Tiger, Panther, Gaur, Indian Elephants, Slender Loris, Python, Deer, Antelopes, Birds etc. are big attraction for public.

17. MARBLE PALACE ZOO

• The zoo is located at Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The zoo was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835.
• The zoo was opened in 1854.
• It is famous for Marble Walls, Floors, Antiques, Paintings, Marble Statues, Floor to Ceiling Mirrors, Collection of rare birds.
• Attractions to general public in the zoo are Peacocks, Toucans, Storks, Cranes etc.

18. INDIRA GANDHI ZOOLOGICAL PARK

• The zoo was opened to general public on 19 May, 1977 located at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The zoo name is kept on the name of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
• Area occupied by zoo is 625 acres.
• The zoo is surrounded by Eastern Ghats from three sides and by Bay of Bengal from Fourth Side.
• 850 animals of 75 species are kept in the zoo.
• Biosphere Learning center and Library is available near Canteen in the zoo.
• 80 species of Animals, Birds and Reptiles are kept in the zoo for public attraction.
• Some kinds of species are like Love Birds,  Painted Storks, Peafowls, Spotted Doves, Bonnet Monkey, Rhesus Monkey, Common Languor, Ring tailed Remur, Hippopotamus, Baboons, Bengal Tiger, Leucistic, Asiatic Lions, Leopards, Puma, Jaguar, Striped Hyenas, Sloth Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Pythons, Snakes, Land Tortoise, Water Monitor Lizards, Mugger Crocodile, Owls, Porcupines, Civets etc. are very much attract the people far and near.

19. NANDANKANAN ZOO

• The zoo was opened on 29 December, 1960 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• But zoo was opened to general public in 1979.
• It is first zoo which has joined World Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2009.
• Area occupied by zoo is 990 Acres.
• 1580 animals  of 120 species are kept in the zoo.
• Major attraction of zoo is Butterfly Park, Orchid House, Lion Safari, White Tiger Safari etc.
• Animals and Birds like Mouse Deer, Leopard Cat, Flying Squirrel, Racket Tailed Drongo, Hornbill, Mynah, Mongoose etc are big attraction for public.
• Endangered Species like Asiatic Lions, Indian Crocodiles, Sangal Lion Tailed Macaque, Nulgiri Languor, Indian Pangolin, Mouse Deer and many Fishes, Reptiles, Birds are kept successfully.
• 34 Aquariums are also available where numbers of Fresh Water Fishes are kept.
• About 130 species of Orchids are also available.

20. MYSORE ZOO

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• Mysore Zoo is located in Karnataka. 
• Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens is another name of Mysore Zoo. Sri Chamaraja Wodeyar was the king on whose name zoo is established.
• Area occupied by zoo is 157 acres.
• Mysore Zoo was originally created in 1892 on 10 acres but open to general public in 1902.
• Currently Zoo is provided home to Ten Elephants. It has more elephants than any other zoo in India.
• In year 1956, Rhinos were added to Zoo.
• 1,320 animals of 168 species are kept in zoo.
• Species of zoo includes Swan, American White Pelican, Zebras,Giraffes, Hamadryas Baboon etc.