Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

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.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}

File:Asiatic lion in Thiruvananthapuram Zoo.JPG

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.

File:Black bear in Thiruvananthapuram Zoo.JPG in the zoo]]

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{{cite news | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2014/oct/28/white-tiger-arrives-in-zoo-676111.html | title=White Tiger Arrives in Zoo | date=28 October 2014 | newspaper=The New Indian Express | access-date=23 December 2018 }} 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.

File:Deers in TVM zoo.jpg

File:Tiger in Zoo, TVM.jpg

File:Emu in TVM Zoo.jpg

File:Peacock in TVM zoo.jpg

File:Green Winged Macaw in Zoo.jpg

• 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

• 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

File:Trivandrum Zoo 33.jpg|Thiruvananthapuram Zoo Campus

File:Napier Museum Thiruvananthapuran DSW New.jpg|Napier Museum Thiruvananthapuram

File:Zeebra in Trivandrum Zoo.JPG|Zebra in the zoo

File:Hippopotamus in Thiruvananthapuram Zoo.JPG|alt=Hippopotamus in Thiruvananthapuram Zoo|Hippopotamus in the zoo

File:Rhinoceros at Trivandrum Zoo DSW.jpg|Rhinoceros at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

File:Barking Deer at Trivandrum Zoo DSW.JPG|Barking deer at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

File:Leopard inside cage at Trivandrum Zoo DSW.jpg|Leopard inside cage at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

File:Brahminy Kite In Zoo.jpg|Brahminy Kite found in the zoo

File:Indian Bison in Zoo, TVM.jpg|Indian Bison in Thiruvananthapuram zoo

File:Deers in Zoo, TVM.jpg|Deer in the zoo

File:Hippos in Zoo, TVM.jpg|Hippopotamus in the zoo

File:Herd of Indian Bisons.jpg|Herd of Indian Bisons in the zoo

File:Herd of Deer and Sambar.jpg|Herd of Deer including sambar in the zoo

File:Feeding deers in zoo.jpg|Feeding the deer

File:Walking Tiger in Zoo.webm|Waking Tiger in the zoo

• Delhi Zoo
• Mysore Zoo
• Thrissur Zoo

{{Reflist |refs=

{{Cite web

|url=http://www.keralamuseumandzoo.org

|title=Zoo

|work=keralamuseumandzoo.org

|publisher=Department of Museums and Zoos, Government of Kerala

|access-date=1 October 2010

}}

{{ZooOrg|cza|zoos|access-date=5 July 2011}}

{{Cite web

|url = http://www.kuchbhi.com/india/61-articles/258-list-of-zoos-in-india-from-1800-until-now.html

|title = List of Zoos in India, from 1800 until now

|work = kuchbhi.com

|publisher = Kuchbhi

|access-date = 4 July 2011

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111021205725/http://kuchbhi.com/india/61-articles/258-list-of-zoos-in-india-from-1800-until-now.html

|archive-date = 21 October 2011

}}

{{Cite web

|url=http://www.my-kerala.com/tour/district/thiruvananthapuram/spots/zoo/index.shtml

|title=Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, Kerala

|work=my-kerala.com

|publisher=My Kerala

|access-date=2 October 2010

}}

{{Cite web

|url=http://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=637

|title=Elephants at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo in India

|work=Elephant Encyclopedia

|publisher=Koehl D.

|access-date=2 October 2010

}}

}}

{{Commons category|Trivandrum Zoo}}

• [https://www.museumandzoo.kerala.gov.in/ Official Web Site]
• [http://indiatourism.ws/kerala/thiruvananthapuram/zoo/ Thiruvananthapuram Zoo Photographs, 2011]
• [https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/delhi-zoo-return-jaguar-named-salman-kerala-because-it-‘too-fat-breed’-35025 Salman the fat] jaguar

{{Zoos of India}}

{{Tourism in Kerala|state=collapsed}}

Category:Zoos in Kerala

Category:Tourist attractions in Thiruvananthapuram

Category:1857 establishments in India

Category:Educational organizations established in 1857

Category:Zoos established in the 19th century