Alipore Zoo is located at Alipore Road and is considered to be one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Kolkata. Alipore Zoo is also known as Alipore Zoological Gardens. It is spread over 45 acres of land and has a wide collection of plant and animal species. On January 1, 1876 Prince of Wales, Edward VII officially inaugurated this Zoo. However, it was only on 6th May of the same year that the zoo was opened to the public.
Maidan Metro Station is situated very close to this zoo. It is one of the biggest Zoos in West Bengal. Subit Chowdhury is the present director of Kolkata Alipore Zoo.
Initially the managing committee of the park included George King (renowned botanist) and Schwendler. Ram Brahma Sanyal was the first Indian superintendent of Alipore Zoo. During that time, the collection of the zoo consisted of:
- African Buffalo
- Indian Gazelle
- Sambar Deer
- Domestic sheep
- Zanzibar Ram
- Four-horned sheep
- Spotted Deer
- Hog Deer
- Hybrid Kashmiri Goat
- Indian Antelope
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Usually, winter is the best time to visit the Zoo. This Zoological Garden of Calcutta is mainly popular among the children. While roaming around the Zoo visitors will come across several exotic animals, such as Royal Bengal Tiger, One-horned Rhinoceros, Banteng, White Tiger, Crowned Crane, Indian Elephant, Macaque, Slow Loris, Grant's Zebra, wild Yak, Southern Cassowary, Echidna, Giant Eland and several others. Simpanji, Rhinos, Zebra, Elephants, Giraffe, Hippopotamus and reptiles are also there to allure the visitors.
Apart from this, visitors can also watch various species of birds, such as, Emu, Ostrich, Lorikeet, Macaws, Hornbills, Golden Pheasant, Swinhoe's Pheasant and Lady Amherst's Pheasant. From a very long time, a Gigantict Aldabra Tortoise called Adwaita was the major attraction of Kolkata Zoo. However, in 2006 this 250 year old tortoise died.
A huge number of migratory birds can also be seen in the Calcutta Zoo. Sarus Crane is one of them. Mainly in winter, these birds come into the Zoo premises.
The visiting hours of this Zoo extends from 9 am to 5 pm. To visit the entire Zoo, a minimum 2 hours is needed.
Alipore Zoo has a major historical significance too. Many of the British citizens residing in Kolkata compare Alipore Zoo with Zoological Society, London and Jardin de Plantes, France.
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