‘Eco trail’ in Vandalur Zoo remains a non-starter

Geetha Srimathi
‘Eco trail’ in Vandalur Zoo remains a non-starter

In dormancy: The eco trail was set up at Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur before the COVID-19 pandemic. B. VELANKANNI RAJ B. VELANKANNI RAJ

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Tuesday, 30th May 2023
Page No. 5
Chennai Print Edition
SUPPLEMENTMain Edition

The eco trail in the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), Vandalur, is yet to open for visitors even four years after it was set up. The trail is a 2-km stretch amidst trees and foliage built to give an experience similar to a forest walk.

The eco trail was set up before the onset of the pandemic, when the zoo was closed for several months. While the facilities such as children’s park, nocturnal bird house, aquarium, and butterfly park gradually opened in the last two years, the eco trail is still not ready.

An entrance arch and a pathway has been built for the trail, which has been designed to emulate a walk through the forest along with sounds of bird calls, starts beyond the elephant enclosure at the zoo and ends near the aviary.

‘No tentative timeline’

Manikanda Prabhu, Assistant Director, AAZP, said that a part of the trail that goes along tiger enclosure requires some work. There is no tentative timeline for the opening of the trail.

However, visitors to the zoo can soon go on a lion safari, which was also facing delays in restarting. The safari, which was closed during the pandemic, was not restarted as four lions died in 2021.

“Work done for reopening lion safari is almost ready, it will be opened soon,” said Mr. Prabhu.

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