Hyderabad Zoo to launch night safari and glowing bioluminescent park

The Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad is planning a night safari and a bioluminescent park featuring glowing organisms and nocturnal animals. The project is in early stages, with plans being drawn and assistance taken from the Singapore Zoo.

Hyderabad: Imagine going into the zoo at night, with glowing insects lighting up the area, watching owls and bats fly, and felines waking up from slumber. This will soon be a reality, with the Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) set to launch a night safari and bioluminescent park on its premises.

With the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) lifting the earlier ban on night safaris in zoos, the NZP is preparing a detailed plan to set up the night safari in the existing safari complex. The zoo officials plan to mark a separate area for the night safari within the existing complex.

The bioluminescent park is expected to exhibit glowing living organisms that naturally emit light, creating a magical experience for visitors. A detailed project report will soon be submitted to the CZA for approval. For this, NZP officials are taking assistance from the Singapore Zoo.

“We have planned a night safari and bioluminescent park in the zoo premises. The project is still in the preliminary stages,” Telangana Zoo Parks Director Dr Sunil S Hiremath told Telangana Today.

While the zoo operates from 8.30 am to 4 pm on all days except Mondays, which is a holiday, the night safari will be open to visitors from 6 pm to 11 pm or 11.30 pm.

Apart from nocturnal animals such as owls, nightjars, bats, and raccoons, plans are being made to display tigers, lions, and bears during the night safari.

“Just like humans, animals will also be under stress. So, we will ensure that animals such as tigers and lions that are on display during the day will not be repeated in the night safari,” a senior official said.

The NZP has the credit of being the first zoo in the country to commence the natural safari park in 1974. The complex has shrub jungle, rocky hillocks, and perennial water channels of the Mir Alam Tank.

Presently, the safari complex is categorised into four zones – Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Bisons. It has a collection of eight lions, five tigers, eight bison, and four bears. However, a pair of animals are released into the safari for display at a given time. In addition, a large number of deer and peacocks, which are free range, can be spotted during the safari journey.