New Delhi: Delhi Zoo is set for a facelift under a Rs 400-crore modernisation plan that includes a walk-through aviary, a nocturnal house, an expanded veterinary hospital, a central plaza and an auditorium. The zoo will also aim to curb congestion on Mathura Road.
Officials said the proposal has been cleared by a delegated investment board. A detailed project report will be prepared in three months once the funds are allocated and the project will be executed in over four years. The modernisation of the zoo, which opened in 1959, plan aims to improve the experience of visitors as well as animals. One of the features is the walk-through aviary, unlike the current system where birds are caged. “At present, some sections of the aviary have net viewing, which hampers clear viewing for the public. We plan to improve the aviary so that visitors can feel they are in the birds’ habitat. While walking in the aviary section, people will be able to see the birds or listen to their chirping. However, there will be barricading so that people or birds are unable to harm each other,” a senior zoo official said. Similarly, glass viewing panels will be installed at animal enclosures for a clearer view.Two other additions will be a nocturnal house and CCTV cameras with AI. “Animals which are awake at night and asleep in the day, like owls, will be in the nocturnal house with minimal lighting,” the official said. Though cameras were installed in the zoo over five years ago, the plan is to update them. “We will install cameras equipped with AI so that if an animal tries to leave its enclosure, the camera will alert authorities,” said the official, adding that they also aim to install the latest fire alarm system. The features that will be added to make the zoo more visitor-friendly include expansion of the vet hospital with new equipment, better signage for guided tours, a separate entry for pedestrians, parking space, an improved feed kitchen with deep-freezing and ventilation. The construction of the central plaza and an auditorium will be for the education of visitors, especially students. “After necessary approvals, the modernisation will… be executed in phases so that the animals are not disturbed,” said an official.
