Kurumbapatti Zoological Park
The Kurumbapatti Zoological Park is a mini zoo, situated in the foothills of the Shervaroyan Hills, 10 km from Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. It was set up in 1981 as a small museum and was later extended to 31.73 Ha. The zoo houses many species of wildlife, with monkeys as the major attraction, and is in the vicinity of reserve forest, permitting visitors the opportunity to also experience the flora and fauna there. The park has a gentle topography, areas of bamboo and woodland and semi-perennial streams.[4] Facilities include a children's playground area.[4] The park has been recognized as a small category zoo.[3][2][7][8] [9] [10] [11][12][13]
The main entrance of the zoo | |
Date opened | 1971[1] |
---|---|
Location | Salem, Tamil Nadu, India |
Coordinates | 11.744153°N 78.170944°E |
Land area | 78.40 acres (31.73 ha)[2][1] |
No. of animals | 157[3] |
No. of species | 17 |
Annual visitors | 200,000[4] |
Memberships | Chief Wild Life Warden, Tamil Nadu[1] |
Major exhibits | Monkeys, Spotted deer, Sambar deer, star tortoise, peafowl[2] |
Website | http://www.salemecotourism.com[5][6] |
Exhibits
The park features spotted deer, sambar deer, white peacock, bonnet macaque, grey pelican, little egret, grey heron, turtle, marsh crocodile, star tortoise, plum headed parakeet, rose-ringed parakeet, a 58-year-old elephant Andal,[14] yellow-footed green pigeon (treron phoenicoptera), blackbucks and Bison.[15] Four Alexandrine parakeets, 20 rose-ringed parakeets and five Plum-headed parakeets have arrived from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur to be displayed in purpose-built enclosures. Separate enclosures exist for the parakeets to permit better viewing for visitors. The park recently received three Asian palm civets from Tiruvarur forest division and will be moved to enclosures for Visitors once Quarantine period is over[16]
Animals at the park as of 31 March 2018 include:[3]
Group | Number of species | Number of animals |
---|---|---|
Mammals | 04 | 34 |
Birds | 09 | 109 |
Reptiles | 04 | 14 |
Total | 17 | 157 |
2019 Renovation
In 2019 a butterfly garden was opened and 3D artworks of animals such as tigers and butterflies were created along the pathways inside the zoo. A wide range of flowering plants was incorporated into the area close to the butterfly garden, with four beehives to facilitate cross-pollination. An artificial waterfall and lawns were also planned as part of the renovation effort.[17][18][5]
Rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals
The zoo is located in Kurumbapatty reserve forests in the foothills of the Shervaroys. The city is surrounded by hillocks and reserve forests. Consequently, the zoo is involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals regularly. The injured animals are provided with veterinary care at the zoo, and other animals are quarantined and released into the wild.[4]
Proposed Up-gradation 2020
The forest department have decided to bring in large carnivorous animals like tiger, leopard and sloth bears to the zoo and also expand the area from 31.74 hectares to 80 hectares. The Tamil Nadu government announced that the zoo will be expanded into a medium category zoo and allotted 8 crores for the purpose.[19]
Incidents
An elephant in zoo premises attacked and trambled mahout kaliappan, a 45 years old man died during this incident. The same elephant named Andal killed a forest watcher in 2013.[20][21]
Gallery
- Newly added Tiger Statue.
- Dinosaur Statue.
- Red-Eared Slider tortoises
- White Peacocks enclave.
- Pelican birds enclave.
- White Duck in Zoo Premises.
- MirrorImage of Zoo Crocodile.
- Zoo Elephant Andal.
- Sambar Deer
- Spotted Deer(Chital)
- Golden Jackal
References
- "Kurumambapatti Zoo Information in central zoo authority of india". Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- "Kurumambapatti Zoo information in tamilnadu forest". Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- "Zoo Species info from CZA, Category(Small Zoo), Page(267)" (PDF). 31 March 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- "Annual Report 2016-17" (PDF). Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- "Online booking facility launched for Kurumbapatti zoo". The Hindu. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- "Exclusive website launched for Kurumbapatty zoo". The Times of India. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- "Battered road keeps visitors away from Salem zoo". The Hindu. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- "Zoo Bird Info". Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- "The only two amusement spots". The Hindu. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- "Forest Dept. elephant camps begin". The Hindu. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- "Research, training facility comes up at Vandalur zoo". The Hindu. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- "Chilled lassi, sprinklers keep zoo inmates cool". The Hindu. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- "Kurumbapatti Zoo". Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- "Andal stays at Kurumbapatti Zoo". The Hindu. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "Blackbucks to be brought to Kurumbapatti Park". The Hindu. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "Palm civets arrive at Kurumbapatti zoological park". The Hindu. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- "Butterflies attract visitors at Kurumbapatti zoo". The Hindu. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "3D paintings attract visitors at Kurumbapatti zoo". The Hindu. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "Plans a foot to upgrade Kurumbapatti zoo". Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- "Salem: Jumbo tramples mahout in zoo park". Deccan Chronicle. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- "Elephant tramples mahout to death at zoo". The Times of India. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.