Zoo

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It covers 55 acres of forest land, lakes and grassy fields. It is home to 82 species from around the world. Local species at the zoo include lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian rhinoceros, Asiatic lion, royal Bengal tiger, white tiger and leopard. In 2020, animals from Africa include giraffes, hippos, zebras and Cape buffalos.

The zoo also includes a snake farm called 'The Reptile House', which exhibits both poisonous & non-poisonous snakes. It also houses 7 Anacondas. There are also birds like Ostrich, Scarlet macaw, Indian peafowl, Greater flamingo, Common crane, rock dove, white stork, turkey vulture, Emu and other species. Reptiles like Anaconda, Rat snake, Monitor lizard, Indian cobra, King cobra, Green tree snake, crowned river turtle and more are here in this zoo.

History

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in India. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the ruler of Travancore during 1830-1846, was the founder of the Thiruvananthapuram Museum & Zoo. In the early days, he has a horse breeding center in Trivandrum which houses elephants, tigers, panthers, deer, bears and a lioness. Later, under the leadership of Maharaja Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma and British General Cullen, a museum and zoo were planned. In 1855, a committee was formed and the Napier Museum was opened to the public in 1857 & zoo park was opened in 1859.

At first, the zoo was meant for entertainment, with iron cages and later on its focus shifted to the protection of wildlife & nature. A modernization project was initiated in 1995 to replace the old cages with spacious naturalistic cages. The Kerala state government is undertaking this renovation with finanical & technical help from the Central Zoo Authority.

How To Reach

Trivandrum bus stand is located at a distance of around 3.2 KM from the zoo. You can take a local auto or bus from the bus stand to reach the zoo. From Museum bus stop, this zoo is just 450 m away and can be reached by walk easily.