Kanpur Zoological Park or Allen Forest Zoo (
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
: कानपुर चिड़ियाघर / कानपुर प्राणी उद्यान), also called the Kanpur Zoo is a
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological g ...
in
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
, a large city in
Northern India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
. It is the largest open green space in
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
and the largest zoological park in
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
. Originally a natural habitat for fauna, it is one of the few zoos in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
created in a natural forest. The animals inhabited in the
Zoological Park
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...
have been put in open and moated enclosures. The moated enclosures give the animal ample space for movement and help in expressing their biological and physiological expressions.
In 2015, Kanpur Zoological Park added another feather in its cap, as it became a part of one of the handful of zoos in the country to receive an ISO certification of 14001:2004 for 'Environment Management System Standard’.
Kanpur Zoo vets, stuffed the void of a term to denominate a wild animal born in captivity, by amalgamating 'WILD' and 'DOMESTIC and coined 'WILDOMESTIC’. This has been widely recognised and accepted by wild lifers and print and electronic media. It has been recommended by all for inclusion in several dictionaries.
Mr.K.K.Singh is the current director of the Kanpur Zoo.
Location and hours
The Allen Forest Zoo is located about seven kilometres (5.2 miles) from the city's centre.
In earlier colonial records, it is mentioned as being close to Nawabganj, a locality in
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
. The zoo is an oasis of green, featuring a natural lake and ancient trees.
The zoo is open for visitors on all days from 9 am to 5:00 pm, except on Mondays. Two electric cars are available for a 50 mins ride. The smaller one is a three seater and the larger one is a seven seater. Their charges are ₹120 and ₹210 respectively. Plastic bags are strictly banned inside of the zoo, and water is provided in coolers instead of in plastic bottles. Water, snacks and
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...
is available in plenty. Sulabh Shauchalayas have provided hygienic washrooms and well maintained R.O. plants are too present. Residents of the city can go for their morning walks within the premises of the spacious compound and can get a monthly ticket made for that purpose.
Ticket rates for entry in the zoo are ₹70 for adults and ₹35 for 5 to 12 age group while the toy train costs ₹50 for adults and ₹25 for 5 to 12 age group.
History
The Zoological Park in
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
, (earlier
Cawnpore
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
) was the brainchild of a botanist Sir Allen, a member of the British Indian Civil Service. Sir Allen wanted to open the zoo in a natural forest, but his plans were stuck in bureaucratic red-tape and did not materialize. When the zoo at last opened in 1971 by the government of independent
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, it was named after him.
Allen forest was developed during the British rule between the years 1913-1918 by George Berney Allen, a famous British industrialist of
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
on the banks of the river
Ganga
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
. The zoo was constructed from 1971-1973 under the supervision of then IFS officer RS Bhadauria. The first animal to arrive at the zoo was an otter caught by a fisherman from the
Chambal River
The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna River in Central and Northern India, and thus forms part of the greater Gangetic drainage system. The river flows north-northeast through Madhya Pradesh, running for a time through Rajasthan then f ...
.
In 1975, the first appointed doctor of the zoo was Dr. Ashwani Kumar Tripathi, who graduated from the
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture, also known as Pantnagar University, is the first agricultural university of India. It was inaugurated by Jawahar Lal Nehru on 17 November 1960 as the "Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University" (UPAU). Later the ...
, College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences. Dr. Tripathi contributed to efforts in introducing modern technology to keep the animals healthy. The enclosures for animals and birds were designed on the latest trends in the field of zoo building technology, well spread along the lake on either side of a semicircular arterial road of about 9 km. length.
The current director of the zoo is Mr. Krishna Kumar Singh (IFS)
Animals
![Oskanpur-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Oskanpur-1.JPG)
![Tigress at Kanpur Zoo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Tigress_at_Kanpur_Zoo.JPG)
Mammals at the zoo include white tigers,
leopard
The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...
,
hyena
Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...
,
black bear
Black bear or Blackbear may refer to:
Animals
* American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species
* Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species
Music
* Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...
,
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
,
sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their li ...
,
rhinoceros
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
,
hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
,
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
s,
langur
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications spli ...
,
baboon
Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chacma ba ...
s, musk deer,
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
,
zebra
Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...
, and
antelope
The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia.
Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...
.
chimpanzee
The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...
s (including a 26-year-old named Chhajju) and
orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
s (including a 30-year-old named Mangal) have their own island. Some
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
s and
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
are allowed to roam outside the enclosures as natural inhabitants of the zoo.
Reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
s at the zoo include
Indian gharial.
The
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
at the zoo died of an unknown disease during November 2010. On 11 December 2016, Nandini and her partner Ajay were brought to Kanpur zoo from Raipur zoo and allowed to mate. After three months of pregnancy, lioness littered two cubs, of which one survived.
The zoo also claims that it holds the record of world's oldest living Royal Bengal Tiger, guddu, who unfortunately succumbed to his failing vital health signs in late 2014 at the age of 26.
To feed the enormous number of its carnivorous inmates, Kanpur Zoo has a staggering consumption of 170 to 190 kilogram of meat per day.
![Leopard Kanpur Zoo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Leopard_Kanpur_Zoo.JPG)
![Chhajju Kanpur Zoo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Chhajju_Kanpur_Zoo.JPG)
Attractions
Botanical garden
The zoo houses a
botanical
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
garden with a collection of some of the country's rare species of plants that is dotted with sylvan lakes. The zoo grounds are also professionally maintained by
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
conservationists, and it records large attendance from all age groups and communities in Kanpur. It is a popular destination for picnics, nature walks, and outdoor recreation, as well as teaching school students about
natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s,
environmental issues
Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...
, and responsible
eco-friendly
Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...
living.
Butterfly Park
![Kanpur zoo butterfly park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Kanpur_zoo_butterfly_park.jpg)
It was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore.
A total of 100 species of flowers including Calendula, Gulmehendi and Dahlia; have been planted in order to attract the butterflies.
By now, more than 50 species of butterflies have already been observed in the park.
Lake
![Zoo Lake 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Zoo_Lake_4.jpg)
A rainwater lake is the centre of attraction at Allen Forest, and visitors can see hundreds of deer grazing in open
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
h-like land without fear of any predator. A total of 741 birds were spotted in the lake area which belonged to staggering 44 different species including
Pied Kingfisher
The pied kingfisher (''Ceryle rudis'') is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it has five recognised subspecies. Its black and white plumage and crest, as well a ...
,
orange headed thrush,
painted stork
The painted stork (''Mycteria leucocephala'') is a large wading bird, wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Thei ...
s,
little egret,
great cormorant
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...
,
open bill stork,
black headed ibis, waterhen,
whistling teal,
grey hornbill to name a few.
Almost every year, bird watching festival is organised by Kanpur zoo wherein the nature lovers are given a unique experience of witnessing the zoo lake and its catchment area.
A national award-winning Hindi film "Anokha Aspatal" (1989) is entirely filmed in the picturesque, banks of lake surrounded by lush green forest. The camera captures shots of a variety of birds and animals.
Aviary
The Aviary includes birds from all over the world, including parrots, cranes, parakeets, emus from Australia and New Zealand, various Indian birds, as well as birds from Europe and Latin America.
Night house
Night creatures are housed in a separate building. These include porcupines, toddy cats (
Asian palm civet
The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad range ...
), and other nocturnal animals.
Aquarium
![Kanpur zoo aquarium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Kanpur_zoo_aquarium.jpg)
The zoo includes an aquarium which charges a small fee of ₹10 for entry.
Life size dinosaur sculptures
There are life size
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s of pre-historic
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s.
Toy train
![Kanpur zoo toy train1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Kanpur_zoo_toy_train1.jpg)
In 2014 master plan, state government sanctioned about ₹12 crore ($) for the railway stations, tracks and the toy train. In the initial blueprint of the project, the forest would've suffered a huge loss of greenery. But due to the conservation efforts by a leading English daily, the zoo administration took cognizance of the matter and the blueprint was revised.
Conservation
The zoo includes a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital that can treat several animals at a time, including
hyena
Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...
, tiger, leopard, bear, elephant etc. that are brought into the zoo, usually after bad encounters with humans.
In 2014; except CNG vehicles, all petrol and diesel driven vehicles were banned inside the zoo, to curb noise and air pollution. Plastic water bottles and polythene bags are banned inside the zoo. Although photography is permitted. The zoo discourages visitors from feeding animals.
Zoo's current team of doctors; Dr.RK Singh, Dr.UC Srivastava and Dr.Mohd Nasir, have not only reduced the
mortality rate
Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of de ...
of zoo to one of the lowest in the country but also have improvised novel methods of animal treatment published in globally acclaimed wildlife journals; such as remote cleaning of wound of rhinoceros using half horse power water pump, solution of
2% potassium permanganate and 4%
povidone-iodine
Povidone-iodine (PVP-I), also known as iodopovidone, is an antiseptic used for skin disinfection before and after surgery. It may be used both to disinfect the hands of healthcare providers and the skin of the person they are caring for. It may a ...
solution for two hours daily; was published in
Rhino Resource Centre, sponsored by the
World Wide Fund for nature (WWF), SOS Rhino and
International Rhino Foundation
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is a Texas-based Charitable organization, charity focused on the conservation movement, conservation of the five species of rhinoceros: the White Rhinoceros and Black Rhinoceros in Africa, and the Indian R ...
Prevention of infection by confinement of the animal by making a coating of
turmeric
Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asi ...
and the
ayurvedic
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
antimicrobial agent on a leopard's tail, who was suffering from
gangrene
Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...
is another adroit accreditation to the zoo authorities. Further it prevented residual infection and helped in the healing of the tissue.
Zoo vets had carried out a successful cosmetic surgery of a badly thrashed 15-feet long massive
python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
and a
barking deer's drooped lower jaw.
Earlier, the zoo vets used
broody
Broodiness is the action or behavioral tendency to sit on a clutch of eggs to incubate them, often requiring the non-expression of many other behaviors including feeding and drinking.Homedes Ranquini, J. y Haro-García, F. Zoogenética. 1ra. edi ...
hen for hatching of the eggs. But this process had its own limitations. To increase the number of chicks of
Pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...
s, the Kanpur zoo administration has imported an automatic egg
incubator
An incubator is anything that performs or facilitates various forms of incubation, and may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Incubator (culture), a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures
* Incubator (egg), a de ...
.
In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Kanpur Zoological Park developed an open ‘Raptor Restaurant’ with twin objectives of conserving the dying species of vulture, eagle, kites and crows besides utilising the leftover meat.
Zoo vets performed a rare feat when they hand-reared 7 days old chicks of
Barn Owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...
and
Jungle Owl species, protected under the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established scheduled pr ...
.
Sponsors
The zoo authorities encourage local Kanpur and
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
based industrialists and business owners to take interest in the development and preservation of the ecological heritage of the Kanpur Zoo and its potential for development as a rare natural habitat based zoo.
See also
*
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Prani Udyan
*
Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan Prani Udyan
*
Etawah Safari Park
Etawah Safari Park (formerly Etawah Lion Safari) is a drive-through safari park in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was opened to the public in November 2019. It includes multiple safaris, an Asiatic lion breeding centre and a visitor centre.
H ...
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
Zoos in Uttar Pradesh
Tourist attractions in Kanpur
Botanical gardens in India
Kanpur division
1971 establishments in Uttar Pradesh
Zoos established in 1971