Minister for Zoos J. Chinchurani will inaugurate a new mobile app, butterfly park, exotic birds enclosure, and office-cum-store complex at the city zoo on September 8 as part of the government’s 100-day programme.
The zoo app has all the details about the zoo, animals housed here, places to visit, things to know, quizzes, and events. It comes with a bilingual commentary in English and Malayalam, and a text description.
The app can be downloaded by searching for Thiruvananthapuram zoo on Play Store. The app link is available on the zoo website. It can also be scanned from inside the zoo premises.
The butterfly park has been designed under the guidance of the Travancore Nature History Society’s members Kalesh Sadasivan and Baiju. The park, which cost ₹71 lakh, has scores of host plants, nectar plants, and breeding plants such as pagoda flower, lantana, Garudakodi creeper, Avanakku plant, blue spike, and so on. A waterfall and bridge enhance the beauty of the park.
The exotic birds enclosures have an enriched environment suited for macaws, parrots, and sun conures. Separate enclosures have been readied for two pairs of green-winged macaw, one pair of blue-and-yellow macaw, 22 sun conures, one solo scarlet macaw, eclectus parrot, and five African grey parrot.
The two-storey zoo office-cum-store has facilities for storing grocery, grains, vegetables on the ground floor, along with a freezer. There’s a food preparation area, a cooking area, and a slaughterhouse too on the floor. On the floor above is the office with rooms for supervisors, curator, superintendent, cabinets for staff, lunch area, resting area and changing rooms too.
