Chennai’s Vandalur zoo gears up for summer

Chennai: As the city braces for peak summer, the 430-hectare Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur is ramping up infrastructure and visitor amenities to handle a sharp surge in footfall during the upcoming holiday season. Managers have resurfaced roads, revamped old rest sheds, added new ones to combat the swelter, and spruced up lush public gardens into shaded oases amid animal exhibits. Key additions include a newly designed room for lactating mothers. Rest sheds and the mothers' room are already operational. "Work on black-topping the roads is in progress, which will be completed soon," said deputy director Manish Meena.Weekdays draw around 4,000 nature lovers, while on weekends, the number of visitors doubles. During summer holidays, weekend crowds could triple, Meena predicts. Visitor numbers in April-May 2024 hit 2.80lakh, rising to 3.20lakh last year. "This very clearly shows that visitor footfall to the zoo is going up every year during summer holidays. So, we are gearing up to ensure every visit is comfortable and memorable," he added.Beyond amenities, the zoo has introduced enrichments for captive wildlife to combat boredom. Baboons now have elevated wooden-plank feeding platforms, while primates like lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langurs, and common langurs enjoy swings and other similar setups. "The newly arrived Himalayan black bears were provided a wooden cot-like structure to slide and play. This will be an added attraction for visitors this summer," Meena said.The park awaits avian arrivals via a central zoo authority-approved exchange programme. The zoo is waiting for pure-bred Asiatic lions from Sakkarbaug Zoo in Gujarat. These new arrivals promise more delights for crowds this season, zoo managers added.