Awesome Experience ever.
Alipore Zoological Gardens
আলিপুর পশুশালা
The New Main entrance
Date opened 1 May 1876[1]
Location No. 2, Alipore Road, Alipore, Kolkata-27, West Bengal, India
Coordinates 22.535913°N 88.332053°ECoordinates: 22.535913°N 88.332053°E
Land area 18.81 ha (46.5 acres)[2]
Number of animals 1266
Number of species 108
Annual visitors 3 million
Memberships CZA,[3] West Bengal Zoo Authority
Website www.kolkatazoo.in
The Alipore Zoological Gardens (also informally called the Alipore Zoo or Calcutta Zoo) is India's oldest formally stated zoological park (as opposed to royal and British menageries) and a big tourist attraction in Kolkata, West Bengal. It has been open as a zoo since 1876, and covers 18.81 ha (46.5 acres). It is probably best known as the home of the now expired Aldabra giant tortoise Adwaita, which was reputed to have been over 250 years old when it died in 2006. It is also home to one of the few captive breeding projects involving the Manipur brow-antlered deer.
As of 2015, the latest births at the zoo are that of Grant's zebra, and Indian muntjac.
In 2014, an animal smuggler's den was discovered in Baguihati, a North Kolkata suburb, where three chimpanzees, eight marmosets and around 250 birds including three endemic species were kept hidden. The Kolkata Police handed over all the animals to the Alipore Zoo Authority, and now these animals are on display for the public. In November 2014, the zoo moved out the three elephants which had been staying at the zoo for around 20 years, on terms laid by the Central Zoo Authority, which stated that adult elephants could not be kept in enclosures in any zoo. These elephants were sent to the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. In turn, two baby elephants and an orphaned rhinoceros calf was brought to the zoo.
Another notable incident from 2014 was the escaping of a zebra, which ran out of its enclosure during early morning hours and led the zoo officials on a 45-minute chase.
The zoo has been gifted a pair of Aldabra giant tortoise from Seychelles. A new reptile house has also started functioning and some new reptiles such as the tokay gecko have been introduced.
The zoo presumably set a record when around 75,000 people visited the zoo on January 1, 2015.
(Information taken from wikipedia)
