Chhatbir Zoo (formally Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park), is a zoological park situated close to Zirakpur, India. The zoo was constructed in the 1970s and is home to a large variety of birds, mammals and reptiles.

History

The zoo was christened as the Mahendra Chaudhury Zoological Park after then governor of Punjab, Mahendhan Choudhry in 1977. A small number of animals brought from the

Guwahati Zoo The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden (popularly known as Guwahati Zoo) is the largest of its kind in the North East region and it is spread across 432 acre (175 hectare). The zoo is located within the Hengrabari Reserved Forest at Guwahati, ...

, Assam. It soon became the largest zoo in Punjab.

Location

Lying on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur-Patiala route, this zoo is located about 20 km away from Chandigarh.

List of species

The zoo is home to 369 mammals, 400 birds and 20 reptiles. Non-exhaustive list: Blue Bulls

* Asian palm civet * Asiatic lion * Barasingha * Bengal fox * Bengal tiger * Blackbuck *

Chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...

* Chital * Common marmoset * Four-horned antelope * Gaur * Golden jackal *

Hamadryas baboon The hamadryas baboon (''Papio hamadryas'' ) is a species of baboon within the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula. These re ...

* Himalayan black bear * Himalayan goral * Hippopotamus * Indian crested porcupine * Indian elephant * Indian leopard * Indian spotted chevrotain * Indian wolf *

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

* Jungle cat * Leopard cat *

Lion-tailed macaque The lion-tailed macaque (''Macaca silenus''), also known as the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Characteristics Lion-tailed macaques are covered in black fur, and have a striking gray or silver ...

* Nilgai *

Northern pig-tailed macaque The northern pig-tailed macaque (''Macaca leonina'') is a vulnerable species of macaque in the subfamily Cercopithecidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Traditionally, ''M. leonina'' w ...

* Rhesus macaque *

Sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...

Sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss ...

* Smooth-coated otter * Striped hyena *

Black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...

* Common ostrich *

Emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

* Indian peafowl * Java sparrow *

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 ...

Rose-ringed parakeet The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet (more commonly known as the Indian ringneck parrot), is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ran ...

* Sarus crane * White stork *

Gharial The gharial (''Gavialis gangeticus''), also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae and among the longest of all living crocodilians. Mature females are long, and males . Adult males have a distinct b ...

* Green iguana *

Indian cobra The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that are ...

* Indian python * Indian star tortoise * Mugger crocodile

Walk-in aviary

Chattbir has India's longest walk-in aviary with 300m long walk showcases 32 species of indigenous and exotic birds.India’s longest tour with birds in Chhatbir
/ref> The section is made in five different themes included Terrestrial, Rock & Duck, Woodland, Japanese Trail and Rainforest.

References

External links

Chhatbir Zoo
*
Chhatbir Zoo
at TwistCity
Chandigarh to Chhatbir Zoo
{{authority control Zoos in India Protected areas of Punjab, India 1977 establishments in Punjab, India Zoos established in 1977 Tourist attractions in Chandigarh