Forest Ranger 4, at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, clicks on a webpage that reveals a graph. His smile says it all, but he draws your attention to a line shooting up, marking a huge spike in the virtual viewing of the zoo. He clicks again, to get the numbers: some 20,000 people are logged in to watch the live-streaming of animals in Vandalur zoo.
Till date, 1.5 lakh unique users have seen the website. The maximum hits occur between 7 pm and 9 pm, “and the e-mails slide in well past 10 pm,” says the zoo’s deputy director.
The project was announced two years ago in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by the late Chief Minister, and soon after, a Government order was sent to the director. One of the first decisions taken was to use fibre-optic cables for high-definition pictures and seamless transmission of footage. When the underground cable-laying work to cover the main areas began, it became clear that the circular roads had to be connected too, for a wholesome telecast of “zoo” stories.
In the right place
The positions of CCTV cameras were decided — on expert advice — keeping in mind animal movement. Two cameras pan the wild buffalo pen, with one of them pointing to a tree frequented by the herd; the camera in the lion’s enclosure is trained towards the high ground that the pride loves to gather on.
TAMBARAM, 11/07/2009: The rescued Great Pied Hornbill at its new home at Vandalur zoo on July 11, 2009. Photo: A. Muralitharan
In the test phase, live streaming of animal movement came from four areas, says the deputy director. The project expanded to cover 15 charismatic animals, including white tiger, leopard, Bengal tiger, hippo, hornbill, chimp, bear and elephant. “We went live officially on April 14, and 60,000 hits shook our regular server. We had to upgrade it quickly. It’s the most for any Government website in Tamil Nadu!”
Family fun
The feedback is positive, to say the least. The inbox overflows with high praise, but one stands out. “I am an old resident of Chennai,” wrote the viewer. “As a kid I would regularly visit the zoo at the Children’s Park near the Central Railway Station.” The minute he discovered the live-streaming addition, he shared the news “with my entire family of children/grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We all log on and it feels like a family outing to the zoo.” People from across the world have written in to appreciate the live-streaming of the zoo, connected to their childhoods.
- The zoo app helps you book tickets and navigate around the park. Its audio provides information about animals in two languages.
- There is a 4-D app too, but bulky at 100 mb. Babies are sure to love it.
The control room maintains the CCTV cameras, and zoo officials at various offices keep a constant eye on the real-time pictures.
“It works at different levels,” they say. The facility to watch animals is a learning curve, giving valuable information about animal behaviour. Animals are now monitored 24x7, specially if they are under treatment.”
There is a management angle as well: “We spot law-and-order problems and action follows double-quick!”
Viewers get to watch fascinating “short movies” of tigress Preeta playing with her full-grown cubs, the majestic white tiger responding to the keeper’s call, the crocodile “dada” shooing pond-mates, buffaloes crowding under the tree for shade-space, the hornbill posing on a tree, the chimp planning its next move. Once you catch them in the act, it is difficult to let go. “There’s huge potential for exploring,” says the deputy director.
The officials are glad they have implemented the Government order in full. It’s clear that the live-streaming programme, the only one in India and the only free one across the world, opens a window for study and research — or just a chance to view the animals and fall in love with them.
