Regional conference marks zoo's bicentenary

The Zoological Gardens Department has planned to mark the bicentenary of the Zoological Gardens in 2010 by conducting a regional conference in Sri Lanka.

The existing zoological gardens would also be developed and upgraded to mark the event.

Other highlights would include the publication of a book on the history of zoological gardens and the issuing of a commemorative stamp, a Government Information Department release said.

The release said the first zoological gardens in Sri Lanka was set up at Slave Island in 1810 by Sir Joseph Banks, Director Kew Zoological Gardens in England on a request made in 1805 by then Chief Justice Sir Alexander Johnston.

This was later shifted to Peradeniya in 1821 but the road leading to the original site in Slave Island is still known as Kew road.

Work on the proposed new zoological gardens at Mirijjawila and Dickowita would also be expedited for opening to the public under this program.