SAMBALPUR: A botanical garden in the zoo at Motijharan here was inaugurated by the principal chief conservator of forest and head of forest force Debidutta Biswal on Wednesday.
Located within the forest inside the zoo over an area of four hectares, the garden has a kilometre of foot trail surrounded by plants. The botanical garden has more than 500 flowering species including Gravelia and Ficus. Hirakud DFO Anshu Pragyan Das said, the botanical garden has been developed utilising the wasteland within the zoo. Apart from the foot trail, it has a park with a lawn and a seating area for walkers.
While the zoo opens at 8 am, the garden will be open from 6 am till 6 pm for the convenience of morning and evening walkers. Visitors will be charged `5 as an entry fee for the garden. Monthly passes may also be issued for daily visitors.
The zoo, located in the heart of the city and established in 1980 is one of the oldest in Odisha. At present, the zoo houses at least 230 birds and animals of 18 different species including a leopard and a bear. While the zoo has been categorized as small, a proposal has been sent to Central Zoo Authority to upgrade it to the medium category. The zoo records a footfall of around 800 people daily on average.