CHENNAI: The Anna Arignar Zoological Park in Vandalur has seen a steady rise in the number of visitors in May for the past four years. This year May, the zoo has witnessed its maximum number of visitors with over 3.83 lakh people, an increase of 21 thousand from the count in May 2013 when the count was 3.62 lakh.
Officials in the zoo attribute the increase to the improved facilities and the participation of the zoo in national breeding programmes of the Central Zoo Authority. Proper maintenance, drinking water facilities and congestion free environments have helped the zoo park receive more visitors this summer.
A lot of infant entrants, born in the zoo this year, have contributed to the attraction points of the zoo.
The three white tiger cubs and the two Bengal tiger cubs, that the Chief Minister J Jayalalitha christened earlier in May, have also played a huge part in contributing to the spurt in the number of visitors.
The zoo authorities had facilitated the live viewing of the tiger cubs through CCTV camera footages, becoming the first zoo park in the nation to introduce such a system, and had kept the park open for visitors throughout the month of May.
Since the beginning of the year, one male Indian Gaur calf, seven wild boar piglets, five tiger cubs and a lion tailed macaque infant have been born in the zoo and all the newborns, with the exception of the tiger cubs and piglets, are housed in the moat enclosures for public viewing.
The improved facilities in vehicle parking, cloak rooms with 2,500 lockers and dining area that can seat 360 people along with the additional infrastructure facilitating picnic lunches under trees, have made the experience pleasurable for visitors.