Photo feature of Central Zoo

KATHMANDU: SEPT. 2 – The Central Zoo in Jawalakhel, which was closed with the very first lockdown, is open to the public from July 16. The Central Zoo currently has 997 animals of 113 species.

Lina Chalise, information officer at the National Nature Conservation Fund, said that the zoo, set up by Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher, is now open to an average of 80 visitors a day.

According to her, under normal circumstances, about 500 people used to visit the zoo daily. The same number of students used to come on educational tours. At that time, the annual income was 13 to 140 million. But since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, incomes have fallen to an average of 70 million.

Expenditure on animals is around Rs 40 million annually. According to Chalise, 1.5 to 1.7 million per animal is spent annually on the rearing of tigers, elephants, rhinos and other large animals.