CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu forest department will offer free entry to visitors at three zoological parks across the State on June 21 and 22 to mark Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's 52nd birthday on June 22.
Forest Minister R V Ranjithkumar announced that the facility would be available at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, Amirthi Zoological Park in Vellore district and Kurumbapatti Zoological Park in Salem district. Visitors will have to register online to avail the free entry. The minister said he would personally supervise the arrangements. "The entire ticket cost will be borne by my family trust. The Vandalur zoo will not suffer any losses. The estimated expenditure is around Rs 1 crore," he added.
The announcement, however, has raised concerns among wildlife enthusiasts and zoo officials over the possibility of overcrowding at the Vandalur zoo, especially amid prevailing summer conditions. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the zoo had handled peak visitor footfalls of around 60,000 during Pongal holidays. The zoo's carrying capacity is estimated at around 15,000 visitors at any given time. Experts caution that visitor numbers crossing one lakh in a day could affect both public safety and animal welfare, particularly under high temperatures.
When contacted by TNIE, minister Ranjithkumar said the concerns had been taken into account and that crowd-control measures were already being put in place. "I fully understand the concerns. I have instructed the forest department to cap online ticket issuance to 50,000 per day. Visitors seeking tickets at the counters will be allowed only depending on the number of people already inside the zoo," he said.
Sources told TNIE that there is a meeting scheduled on Thursday at Vandalur zoo, which will be attended by Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra, to decide on the modalities and ensure no untoward incident happens, especially on Sunday when a huge crowd is expected.
The minister said the Children's Park at Guindy would not be included in the free-entry scheme due to space constraints and concerns over overcrowding.
As part of the birthday celebrations, the forest department will also undertake a tree plantation drive. Around 52,000 saplings will be planted in Kancheepuram district on June 22.