# Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It occupies 55 acres (22 ha) of woodland, lakes, and lawns.

## History

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in India. Similarly the Museum and Botanical Gardens are also one of the oldest of their kind in the country. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma (1816–1846), the ruler of Travancore during 1830–1846, was the visionary behind the establishment of the Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo. He had a broad variety of animals, including elephants in his horse breeding centre. In the Trivandrum, stables he incorporated a menagerie and kept tigers, panthers cheetahs, deer, bears and a lioness there. It was however left to his brother Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma and the then British Resident General Cullen which resulted in the establishment of Napier Museum and Zoo in Thiruvananthapuram. A committee was formed in 1855 with the Maharaja of Travancore as Patron, General Cullen as president, The Elaya Raja as vice president and Mr. Allen Brown as Secretary of the Committee and the Director of Museum. The Museum was thrown open to the Public in September 1857. But the Museum by itself could not attract the people much, and therefore a Zoo and a park were started in 1859. The zoo was originally built with the typical iron-barred cages prevalent at the time, and was designed for recreational purposes, but with increased loss of forest and wildlife due to human development, the goal of the Zoo has changed from recreation to conservation.
A modernization project started in 1995, aims to gradually replace the old enclosures with spacious naturalistic enclosures. The state government of Kerala is undertaking this renovation with financial and technical help from the Central Zoo Authority.

## Mammals

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is home to 82 species from around the world. Indigenous species at the zoo include lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian rhinoceros, Asiatic lion, royal Bengal tiger, white tiger and leopard, as well as nine Asian elephants (as of 31 March 2009). Soon 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 and non-poisonous snakes. It also houses 7 Anacondas too.

## Birds

* Ostrich
* Scarlet macaw
* Green-winged macaw
* Indian peafowl
* White spoonbill
* Greater flamingo
* Cassowary
* Sulfur-crested cockatoo
* Common crane
* White-necked crane
* Black-necked crane
* Grey heron
* White ibis
* Blossom headed parakeet
* Rose-ringed parakeet
* Alexandrine parakeet
* Mustached parakeet
* Gray pelican
* Rosy pelican
* Silver pheasant
* Ring-necked pheasant
* Rock dove
* Adjutant stork
* Painted stork
* White stork
* White necked stork
* Black-necked stork
* Cinereous vulture
* King vulture
* White-backed vulture
* Turkey vulture
* Pariah kite
* Brahminy kite
* Emu

## Reptiles

* Anaconda
* Reticulated Python
* Gharial
* Mugger crocodile
* Spectacled caiman
* Monitor lizard
* Bamboo pit viper
* Indian cobra
* Indian rock python
* Rat snake
* Russell's viper
* Checkered keelback
* King cobra
* Red sandboa
* Green tree snake
* Indian flapshell turtle
* Indian black turtle
* Crowned river turtle
* Travancore tortoise

## Gallery

* Thiruvananthapuram Zoo Campus
* Napier Museum Thiruvananthapuram
* Zebra in the zoo
* Hippopotamus in the zoo
* Rhinoceros at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo
* Barking deer at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo
* Leopard inside cage at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo
* Brahminy Kite found in the zoo
* Indian Bison in Thiruvananthapuram zoo
* Deer in the zoo
* Hippopotamus in the zoo
* Herd of Indian Bisons in the zoo
* Herd of Deer including sambar in the zoo
* Feeding the deer
* Waking Tiger in the zoo