Main Info
Guwahati zoo
A Brief Overview on the Guwahati Zoo
The Guwahati zoo was established as one of the best zoo among all others in the country. It is also called the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, but the name is not as catchy as the Guwahati zoo, as it is popularly called. The zoo serves as a paradise to the wildlife which call it home, and spreads over a massive area of land of about 430 acres. The zoo can be found in the densely packed vegetative forest area right at the heart of Guwahati, and goes by the name Hengrabari Forest Area. This beautifully protected portion has not lost any of its deep and vibrant connection with the mother nature. The area which is often times referred to as the green lung of the city of Guwahati itself by the people dues to its lush green vegetation, the Assam Zoo cum Botanical Garden or the Guwahati Zoo can be found just about 6 kilometers south from the great and mighty Brahmaputra river which gently runs through the entire state, and is also the largest of all the others rivers throughout the North-Eastern region of the country. The Guwahati zoo displays an intriguingly captivating landscape of gardens, an abundance of the beautiful wildlife, and a totally peaceful and tranquil environment. The zoo has had a remarkable effect in shaping the ecological system of the state and the entire country at large, and the uniqueness of the abundance of the wildlife makes it a place of wonder and admiration for all those who love to explore nature, and is truly worth the visit to the area. The zoo was established in the year 1958, and has ever since been a major reason why tourist pour in from all over to the state, charming all with its lush and rich gardens of flora and fauna, and only hold competition with the Manas National Park and the Kaziranga Natinal Park as strong rivals. Over about 113 different species from the animal kingdom, adding up to a total of 900 plus animal’s birds and reptiles have made this zoo their home. Over time throughout the years, the zoo has increased its capacity in order to make room for more animals and has also established a botanical garden within its premises. The zoo receives just about half a million tourists, visitors and lovers of wildlife who come to visit the sites all year round, and to see the native and exquisite animals which are on display which includes the majestic one-horned rhinoceros which is indigenous to the subcontinent of India, giraffes and ostriches from the African continent, and kangaroos from Australia.
Beautiful Flora and Fauna Gardens at the Guwahati Zoo
The main attractions at the prestigious zoo are mainly the fauna exhibitions, the zoo however has a few more exciting things to offer its visitors such as the herbarium collection, the reptile house, the museum, and the botanical garden. The various beautiful animals on display at the zoo are ranging from the royal Bengal tiger, to the indigenous one horned rhinoceros, to the golden langur, the pig tailed macaque, to the very exotic animals like the black rhinoceros, the African white rhinoceros, kangaroos, giraffes, jaguars, pumas and llamas all topping the magnificent list of international stars at the zoo. You can find here different kinds of mammals such as the Himalayan black bear, tiger, the Asian elephant, samba, black buck, leopards, striped hyenas and nilgai. The lovely bird sanctuary is of particular interests to ornithologists and bird watchers alike, having some beautiful birds on display like the rosy pelican, parakeets, cassowary, steppe eagle, macaw, silver pheasant, bar-headed geese, storks and so on. The area made for the reptiles is also another great side attraction which shelters different kinds of snake species in their individual enclosures. There have been several captive breeding programs which have been established by the authorities in order to expand the population size of the endangered species among the animals such as the gharials, the one horned rhinoceros, and the white tigers at the zoo. The zoo is a well-known host to various animal welfare, outreach and awareness programs, and is also a prominent off-site conservation center in the country. Various programs have been adopted such as the rehabilitation and rescue of animals, allowing individuals the opportunity to also adopt animals and help them to grow to full maturity.
The Herbarium Collection and Museum at The Guwahati Zoo
The famous Guwahati Zoos museum is a place of abode for the remarkable models of various stuffed specimens of endemic species like the gharial. Its herbarium collection serves as a spectacular haven to botanist and the like, and contains an array of over 2000 carefully preserved sheets which covers about 550 different species of native flora indigenous to about 106 different families of plants. You will find detailed information for all kinds of people in the museum and herbarium.
The botanical garden within the zoo is touted as among the most beautiful botanical gardens across the North India. You can find nearly 289 exotic and 345 native plant species in the botanical garden.
A Brief History of the Guwahati Zoo
The original plan for the zoo was to be established around the year 1957, but was later opened to the public officially in the year 1958. The idea for the zoo came about during the 64th session of the Indian National congress, which was then held in Guwahati. Asides the main aim, to table their political reasons for the zoo, the organizing team had an exhibition planned for the delegates which had a few birds and animals to charm and amuse the delegates, with their very own star attraction of the show, a cub named Spotty.
When all was said and done, the assembly came to an end. It was after that that the need for an animal shelter was felt. The animals were then moved to a Jalprigog in the Hengrabri Reserve Forest Region because it was close and quiet. Standard infrastructure and facilities were made available to shelter the wildlife.