ZOO

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

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in India. It is said to have been established in the year 1857 by Maharaja of Travancore. In a modernization project of 1995, this zoo got a makeover and its old enclosures were replaced with spacious naturalistic enclosures. The zoo is home to about 82 species of animals that include lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian rhinoceros, Asiatic lion, royal Bengal tiger, white tiger, leopard, Asian elephants, giraffes, hippos, zebras, and Cape buffalos. There is a snake farm and reptile house, which exhibits both poisonous and non-poisonous snakes along with 7 anacondas.

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is one of the oldest Zoo 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.

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.