Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The city zoo is no longer just a zoo but has also become a breeding centre of note for wild animals as zoo authorities have achieved remarkable success in breeding animals in captivity. This has not only increased the number of animals in the zoo but also helped it in getting rare animals from other zoos under the animal exchange programme resulting in increased footfall from across the state.
Zoo officials said that in the last few months, the average number of visitors has increased by 15 to 20 per cent. A major reason for this is the 245 exotic birds and other animals of more than 80 species brought to the zoo under the animal exchange programme and the tiger cubs and baby animals of other species of animals. The total number of wild animals in the zoo has now increased to around 1,300.
Animals from other countries in zoo
Cotton Top Monkey, Bal Python, Rhino Iguana, Red Lori, Rainbow Lori have also been introduced among the new wild animals in the zoo. These animals are found in countries like South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Brazil and other such countries.
"With the zoo making its mark as a breeding centre, the visitors are now getting to see many more species of wild animals which are not available in other zoos. Due to this, the number of visitors coming from other cities has also increased. Apart from Saturdays and Sundays, the number of spectators reaches above 12 thousand on holidays. On average, more than four and a half thousand visitors come here every day."
Dr Uttam Yadav, Incharge, Zoo Indore.
