Puthoor zoo cited as model for relocating Thiruvananthapuram zoo
K.J. Varughese points to the Thrissur Zoological Park at Puthoor as a blueprint for shifting the Thiruvananthapuram zoo, flagging land, funding and design issues.
The Thrissur Zoological Park at Puthoor offers a workable template for the government as it weighs moving the Thiruvananthapuram zoo out of the city, according to K.J. Varughese, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Special Officer for the Puthoor park.
His remarks follow Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's announcement of plans to relocate the capital's zoo from the city centre to a site close to forests. Varughese, who oversaw the Puthoor project, said the space crunch at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo was clear: 1,025 animals belonging to 98 species are housed within roughly 30 acres. He linked the Chief Minister's concerns about ecosystem limits and animal welfare to this gap between available space and the number of animals kept there.
With zoo management practices changing worldwide, Varughese said recreating a natural habitat on 30 acres posed serious constraints. The Thrissur zoo was shifted from a 13-acre site in the heart of the city to 336 acres of forest at Puthoor. Designed by Australian zoo architect Jon Coe, the park was built over eight years and has drawn more than three lakh visitors.
Varughese said relocation was an administrative call, but certain factors needed attention. The Thrissur move was held up indefinitely by land-related problems, a lesson he described as invaluable. He noted that zoo safaris are gaining ground globally, and visitors familiar with African safaris would expect a similar experience.
The Puthoor park was set up with the approval of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest. Varughese, however, advised against starting with a reserve forest area, and said it was better that a zoo not sit adjacent to a forest and wildlife ecosystem. Estates near forest areas could be considered instead.
He estimated that a zoo safari needs about 600 acres, and said low-cost land for the purpose is available near Neyyar-Kottoor. Visitor fees alone cannot sustain a zoo, he added, making a commercial area necessary, which is possible on non-forest land.
Funding such a project through the State Budget alone would be impossible, Varughese said, pegging the investment including land acquisition at ₹750 crore. Alternative sources of finance would have to be found, he said, pointing to Maharashtra's zoological park at Gorewada near Pune, which is being implemented as a public-private venture. The experience of the Thrissur Zoological Park at Puthoor showed that several routes for raising capital exist, he said.