Due to the coronavirus outbreak, for the first time, Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya recorded a footfall of 7,500 in an entire week. City zoo reopened after 6 months following the new normal protocols to control the spread of COVID-19 on Monday, i.e. September 21.
The footfall at the city zoo was less than half as compared to the usual footfall before COVID-19 on the first day.
About 600 visitors were recorded in the zoo, as shared by Dr Uttam Yadav, city zoo in-charge. He added that usually before COVID-19, city zoo generally recorded 2,000 to 5,000 visitors in a day.
To ensure the safety of visitors, touch-less entry was set up. Further, to ensure social distancing and avoiding crowds, IMC workers were stationed near enclosures.
Despite their love for animals, most people refrained from visiting the city zoo during the week. Even during the weekend, the footfall remained around 1,000 to 1,200 in a day.
Usually, on weekends, city zoo records footfall between 15,000 and 20,000. “The fall in footfall is expected, as most people are trying to stay in and as compared to other tourism spots, we still had a continuous footfall every day,” Yadav said.
City zoo has been managing strict prevention protocols for coronavirus in the premises. Taking advantage of the time-down from tourism, the city zoo is working on the maintenance and development of enclosures.
Open area for lions and tigers is under planning. New enclosures will be built for birds soon.
