Nehru Zoological Park is a 380 acre (153.8 ha) zoo

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

 located near Mir Alam Tank

Mir Alam Tank

Mir Alam Tank is a lake in Hyderabad, India, located adjacent to Nehru Zoological Park on the Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway. It has provided drinking water to Hyderabad people for 125 years before the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were built....

 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is one of the three most visited destinations in Hyderabad. Zoo hours vary by season, and the zoo is closed on Mondays.

History

Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad was established in vide G.O.Ms. No.247, dated 26 October 1959. It was opened to the public on 6 October 1963. The Nehru Zoological Park is run by the Forest department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and is named after the first prime minister

Prime Minister of India

The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...

 of the country, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Animals and exhibits

The zoo occupies 380 acres (153.8 ha) and is adjacent to the 600 acres (242.8 ha) Mir Alam Tank. Nearly 100 species of birds, animals and reptiles are housed at the zoo, including indigenous animals like the Indian rhino, Asiatic lion, tiger, panther, gaur, orangutan

Orangutan

Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...

, crocodile

Crocodile

A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...

, python, as well as deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, kangaroo

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...

s, antelope

Antelope

Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...

s, and bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

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The zoo's undulating landscape provides a natural setting to the animals and birds, which are displayed in large enclosures simulating natural habitats. The 200 year old 600 acres (242.8 ha) Mir Alam Tank, with its unique multiple arched bund (embankment), attracts hundreds of migratory birds, providing yet another attraction for the Zoo. The A.P. Tourism Development Corporation has introduced a ferry-boat and speed-boat, which also attracts a visitors for boat rides.

The nocturnal house at the zoo artificially reverses night and day for the animals so that nocturnal animals are active while visitors are at the zoo. This exhibit includes fruit bat

Fruit Bat

Fruit Bat can refer to:* Megabats, a species of bat which eats fruit* Les "Fruitbat" Carter, guitarist of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine* Fruit Bats , an American band...

s, slender loris

Slender loris

The slender lorises are two species of loris native to India and Sri Lanka, the only members of the genus Loris:* the red slender loris, Loris tardigradus* the gray slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus...

, slow loris

Slow loris

Slow lorises are a group of five species of strepsirrhine primates which make up the genus Nycticebus. Found in South and Southeast Asia, they range from Northeast India in the west to the Philippines in the east, and from the Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south...

, civet

Civet

The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....

s, leopard cat

Leopard Cat

The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...

s, hedgehog

Hedgehog

A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...

s, barn owl

Barn Owl

The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...

s, mottled wood owl

Mottled Wood Owl

The Mottled Wood Owl is a species of large owl found in India. They are found in gardens and thin deciduous forests adjacent to dry thorn forests or farmland. They are easily detected by their distinctive tremulous eerie calls at dawn and dusk. The characteristic call is a duet of the male and...

s, fishing owls

Scotopelia

Fishing owls are a group of birds in the Strigidae family. The owls are placed in their own genus Scotopelia here, but should arguably be merged with Bubo.It contains the following species:* Vermiculated Fishing Owl...

, and great horned owl

Great Horned Owl

The Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...

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Attractions

The zoo runs several safari trips each day, such as the Lion Safari, Tiger Safari, Bear Safari, and Butterfly Safari. Other attractions include elephant rides, a natural history museum, and a children's train.

Conservation

Several animals bred in the Zoo have been rehabilitated in various deer parks and sanctuaries to restock the depleted natural population.