This summer, the zoo is the place to be

CHENNAI: This summer, footfalls in the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur have reached an all-time high . “Every day this summer season ( April, May), between 15,000 and 20,000 people visited the zoo. This is the highest number of visitors we have seen, said T Ramachandran, PRO of the park.This self-contained eco system of 602 hectares, home to 143 wild species in captivity, 150 free-ranging species of birds, 80 species of butterflies and other mamals and reptiles, is the closest Chennaiites get to a clean environment.The reasons for the zoo’s popularity, in the words of people who choose to spend their time there, ranged from its clean pollution-free environment to its being affordable entertainment, Well maintained animals provide a great learning experience for children.Dr Syed Fazlul Huq, who was spending a day at the zoo with his family, said, “This is a great place to be. The air is so clean, the environment so peaceful. We spend the whole day here.”Bhagavathy, who had come from Mylapore with her neighbours and had brought her children along, had her reasons, “This is a great place to come to for people like us. This place provides wholesome entertainment for the children, they love the animals, and it is a great learning experince to see the animals for real.”“When we come here, the children have something to do the whole day. They are occupied. At home they get bored watching TV all day. Here they are physically active and learning a lot. And the entry fee is only `30, which works out cheap for a whole day out,” said Mahalakshmi from Villivakkam.Madavan from Anna Nagar said, “The successful breeding of the white tiger and Nilgiri langur, shows the animals are well taken care of at the zoo, and are completely acclimatised. It feels good to show our kids healthy animals.”Dr Thirumurgan, veterinary assistant surgeon, Arignar Anna Zoological Park, who looks after the health care of the animals, said, “The zoo is a hit with children as many of them are seeing the animals for real for the first time in their lives. The animals are well fed on time and they are healthy. Young ones of lions, white tigers and Nilgiri langur, the result of our successful breeding efforts, are major crowd pullers. Kids just love looking at the young ones of the wild animals. They make an instant connect with them.”Between April 2011 and March 2012 over 20 lakh people visited the zoo, while in the previous year ( April 2010 - March 2011) it was only 17 lakh. In April alone this year 2 lakh people visited the zoo.“Every year the number of visitors is increasing. This summer we expect about 6 lakh visitors,” said Ramachandran.Read also: A day at the zoo