Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 23 Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said he had his eye on the site where the Thiruvananthapuram zoo is currently located, but not to sell it—rather, to develop it into a place that would be the pride of the state capital.
Satheesan said he had, at a recent event, proposed shifting the zoo from its current location to another place, as keeping the animals in the city would be cruel to them.
“We should shift them to their own habitat. The site is a prime property, and I have my eye on it. You are right. I have my eye on it, but not to sell it. I want to develop it into a place that would be the pride of Thiruvananthapuram,” he said at a press conference.
The CM, earlier this month, had proposed shifting the Thiruvananthapuram zoo—considered one of the oldest zoological parks in the subcontinent—to a forest area, saying animals should be kept closer to their natural habitat.
He had suggested converting the existing zoo site into a public space on the lines of Madison Square in the US.
His proposal was welcomed by the BJP but opposed by the CPI(M), which claimed there were commercial interests behind it.
Spread across 30 acres, the zoo was established in 1859 as an adjunct to the Museum by the erstwhile Travancore royals and attracts around 14 lakh visitors annually.
It houses 1,025 animals belonging to 98 species and has a natural lake and wooded landscapes that support 93 species of free-roaming birds, including migratory species.
It provides habitat for various butterflies, dragonflies, ants, beetles and spiders, while more than 100 species of indigenous and exotic plants add to its natural setting.
(PTI News)
