Animals from African and Indian jungles for new zoo

Ananda Kannangara

Sri Lanka’s second zoological garden being constructed on a 53 acre land at Pinnawala will be opened in December and most animals will be brought from African and Indian jungles.

The Sports and Public Recreation Ministry will spend Rs. 2,500 million for the project which will be completed in two stages.

Dehiwala Zoological Garden Director Renuka Bandaranayaka said the objective of constructing such a zoological garden for the first time in Sri Lanka is to give an opportunity for local and foreign visitors to watch wild animals and birds in their natural habitats.

The new zoological garden will be divided into four zones, which includes the Sri Lankan Zone and the Foreign Zone. The Sri Lankan Zone consists of species of endemic reptiles, birds, elephants and various other animals, while the foreign zone, consists of animals such as tigers, giraffe, gorillas and species of Indian monkeys.

“Stage” will be opened for the public as a night safari where the visitors could view various local and foreign nocturnal birds and animals”, Bandaranayka said.

Several acres of land have also been allocated to plant over 6,000 species of local and foreign plants. Some plants have not been seen by local visitors before, she added.