Covid fear: Chhatbir Zoo shut till May 31

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 6

A couple of days after eight Asiatic lions tested positive for Covid-19 at the Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park, the authorities here have ordered the closure of Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, popularly known as Chhatbir Zoo, till May 31.

Naresh Mahajan, field director, Chhatbir Zoo, said: “As of now all the animals here are safe, but we don’t want to take any risk and have closed the zoo till May 31.”

Last year, Chhatbir Zoo was closed due to pandemic on March 17 and it had reopened in December, causing Rs5-crore revenue loss to the sanctuary.

The zoo had been earning Rs8 lakh per day before the lockdown and was hoping to become self-reliant in the next two years. However, it witnessed 33 per cent decline in footfall on the first day of its reopening on December 10, last year.

Only 1,100 people had visited Chhatbir Zoo on that day as people over 65 years of age and children below 5 years were not allowed at the facility.

Chhatbir Zoo is one of the largest zoos in India. It is spread over 505 acres of forest area in Mohali and is home to around 1,500 animals and birds, including five adult tigers and three cubs.