Tambaram: On the eve of Wildlife Week 2023 inauguration, Forest Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mathivendan, has inaugurated the zoo safari round for visitors, QR code ticketing system and new operation theatre in veterinary hospital at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park.
Kanchipuram MP G Selvam, MLA Chengalpattu Varalakshmi Madhusudhanan, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government in the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and
Forests Supriya Sahu IAS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of forest Force) Subrat Mohapatra IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Chief Wildlife Warden Thiru.Srinvas R Reddy IFS Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Director AIWC A Udaiyan IFS along with other senior officials of Tamil Nadu Forest department has graced the occasion.
Arignar Anna Zoological Park has various visitors’ attractions and the lion and deer safari is one of the most popular attractions of the park. The lion and deer safari of the park sprawls over 147 acres of scrub jungle, which had been kept closed since the outbreak of COVID in March 2020. The safari currently houses 7 lions, which include 3 males and 4 lionesses. Two lions (one male and one female) have been brought from Bannerghatta and Lucknow zoo respectively. The deer safari area houses large number of sambar, spotted and barking deer.
To enhance the visitor’s wild safari experience, the park has taken steps to lay a separate route dedicated only to the safari, where the visitors pass through dense wooded areas to reach the safari. The protection wall and the fencing have been repaired.
The percolation pond and the water holes have been renovated. A/C buses are being procured to benefit the visitation into the safari. The QR code-based ticketing system is being introduced in AAZP to provide hassle-free entry for visitors. The visitors will now have seamless entry into the zoo and do not need to stand in queue. This system will be operational for entry, vehicle parking, BOV usage and the entry to lion and deer safari.
The zoo works with the mission of providing timely veterinary care for zoo animals. The veterinary care unit of Arignar Anna Zoological Park has state-of-the-art facilities. The newly constructed operation theatre is well equipped with advanced machinery and could address emergency procedures for small animals, including birds, up to big cats like lions
and tigers.
The Forest Minister also inaugurated a new website for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. This website will give comprehensive information about the reserve and will also have online booking of
facilities like rest houses and jungle safaris. He also launched a new website to enable purchase from the souvenir shop online of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The website will also provide a platform for the other tiger reserves to sell their merchandise online.
A book on “Kazhuveli & Oussudu Bird Sanctuaries” is also being released which covers the diverse species of both Kazhuveli and Oussudu bird sanctuaries.
