Visitors to the Pilikula Biological Park here can now use debit or credit cards to pay the entry fee even as they will get to see a new attraction — a hippopotamus — by the end of next month.
According to H. Jayaprakash Bhandary, director of the park, visitors have been allowed to pay with cards since January 20. Saying the park would adopt a completely cashless entry fee system in phases, Mr. Bhandary said payments through digital wallets and Universal Payment Interface (UPI) would also be introduced in the coming days. Eventually, the cash system would be stopped.
The park charges an entry fee of ₹50 per adult and ₹20 for children aged between three and 10. There is no entry fee for children aged below three. If schoolchildren go to the park on a trip, the fee per head is ₹15, Mr. Bhandary said.
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He added that an ATM machine would be installed near the park entrance shortly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bhandary told The Hindu that the park is all set to get three hippos, one male and two female, from Bannerghatta National Park by February 15. Their enclosure at Pilikula is ready, but the fabrication of a cage to bring them from Bengaluru is under way.
The director said the park was also making efforts to bring an anaconda from Chennai Snake Park. As the park is yet to get permission from the government bodies concerned, this might take a few months, he added.
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