Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park – Largest High Altitude Zoos of India

One of the largest high altitude zoos of India, Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park which owes its name to Padmaja Naidu,
the governor of West Bengal (1900-1975) is placed at an altitude of 2,134 meters above the sea level in Darjeeling town of the Indian state of West Bengal.

The park was formerly known as Himalayan Zoological Park but in 1975 it was dedicated to the memory of Padmaja Naidu (1900-1975) by the then prime minister of India Late Indira Gandhi owing to which it came to be known as Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park.  

The zoo is renowned for housing snow leopard, red panda and Himalayan wolf which are all endangered species. The zoo attracts an annual average of 3 lakhs visitor per year including national and international visitors. 

Spread over an area of 67.5 acres of land, the zoo was established in 1958 with an aim of preserving the endangered and some common species of animals and birds. Today, seeing at the zoo every visitor feels that the zoo has done everything to preserve the common s well as endangered animals.    

     

The most amazing thing about the zoo is that it provides opportunity to the general public to adopt some of the animals at a cost. The party who wants to adopt an animal should choose an animal from the zoo and sign an agreement with the department of the zoo to adopt. This zoo is also the first South Asian Zoo to breed the snow leopard and the Siberian tiger which was talk of the town.   

    

Fauna:

Some of the fauna that reside inside the zoo are Himalayan goral, lazzy bear, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan Tahr, yaks, Siberian tigers, Himalayan wolf, squirrel, blue ship etc. The zoo is famed for the protection of Himalayan salamander, Red panda, Tibetan wolf and the snow leopard which are all endangered. 

  

Avian Fauna: Grey peacock pheasant, blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, hill mynas, ring necked pheasants, blue gold macaw, rose ring parakeets and Himalayan Monal are some of the beautiful avian faunas residing inside the zoo.  

Fess and Timing:

The entry fee for the people of SAARC which includes Indian is Rs. 20, Rs. 50 is charged for an entry of a foreigner and one should pay Rs. 10 for a still camera.

The zoo remains open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm in summer as well as winter season on all days except Thursday.   

Remember:

Ø  Not to carry plastic bottle, polythene bag and bring any pet animals inside the premises of the zoo.

Ø  Not to feed or tease any animals of the zoo and not to enter any animals enclosure.  

Ø  Not to litter or breach any regulations of the zoo. 

Best time to Visit: The best time to visit the park is from March to June and from September to January as the climatic conditions remains agreeable and ideal to watch the animals and relish the immaculate beauty of the park.  

Accommodation: As Darjeeling is one of the major tourist destinations of India, large numbers of luxurious, mid range and budget hotels are positioned in and around this hill beauty. Some of the hotels and resorts located close to the park are May Fair Hotel, Hotel Spandan and Central Nirvana. 

How to Reach: Once you reach the main town of Darjeeling (Chowrasta), there are two possible means to reach the zoo. Either you can walk for about 25 minutes from the Mall or you can hire a vehicle and park at the Lebong Cart Road and relish a 5 minutes uphill trek to reach the entry gate.