NEW DELHI: For the first time in its six-decade history, the National Zoological Park in New Delhi has registered 27 lakh footfalls in the fiscal year 2017-18, surpassing its last year’s record of 14 lakh visitors.
A revenue of Rs 12 crore was also collected during the period as compared to Rs 9 core collected during last fiscal. Staff at the zoo attribute this to zoo director Renu Singh, who they claim has changed the ‘system’.
Singh, who completed her first year as the director on May 1, has been coming up with ideas that have proved beneficial for the zoo and its inhabitants.
The recent initiatives undertaken by the zoo authority include free pram service which was launched in August 2017, to encourage more women to bring their young ones there. The authorities also opened a room on Mothers’ Day for lactating mothers to feed their babies. Singh, an Indian Forest Services officer of the 1977 batch, in her previous stint as the director of Lucknow Zoo, had introduced an animal adoption policy by Bollywood stars in order to save the zoo from a financial crisis.
Singh was also awarded for her innovative work in turtle conservation in 2015.
“Health of the animals is our prime priority and there will be no compromise on that under my watch. We have taken certain initiatives in the last one year and the results have been good. We will continue to do the same in the future,” she says.
“The new director has infused a lot of excitement and energy into the team. She remains energetic and has a drive to keep innovating all the time and has a deep love and care of animals,” says a zoo official.
Singh has been holding brainstorming sessions regularly with the zoo staff to make the space friendlier to people of all age groups. In the past one year, 12 animal exchange programmes have been organised, which have contributed the record achievement.