I used to love the Zoo as a kid and then became confused or ambivalent as I grew older. It is tragic that many animals and most birds are caged in
inhuman conditions! I also vaguely remember that there were some mystery deaths of animals due to poisoning in the Mysore zoo. I am not sure if the culprits were found, but as there is no mention of more deaths, hopefully things are alright. Lalbagh in Bangalore was not so lucky, rumour has it that a whole lot of deer were killed and consumed.
Anyway we decided to take our grandkids Leela and Rhea to the zoo.
Mysore zoo is one of the oldest, created in 1892 under royal patronage. Initially we thought we would take the battery operated carts but were disappointed with the way it operates. The person at the station said, '
one hour and three stops!' The way he said it did not sound encouraging. Before I could ask for more details Rohini said let us walk. A bold decision, but the girls did very well considering there are 7 and 4 years old. We were there at the zoo for four hours!
As we walked I did notice some carts were not full and appeared to be reserved only for one group. Possibly there is a scheme to hire these carts individually and pay a higher rate. It could be the reason why the operator discouraged us from taking the carts which were half full. A ploy to make more money from an obvious NRI. Or it could be those individual groups were VIPs. A common feature in India.
We could have seen more if there was a system of hop-on and hop-off system seen in most advanced countries. Oh well! I am sure it will happen one day! The other disappointement was there was only one type of cool drinks in the canteen. There was of course the tender coconut water stall! May be a good idea to send some officials to other zoos to learn a few things about dealing with a crowd who would be tired by end of the day.
We took it in a slow pace and covered as many spots as we could before we adults got tired! I must say we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the zoo. It is indeed beautiful. There are lots of positive signs.
- Group of children from schools are admitted free of charge.
- The enclosures are getting larger and many animals are in their natural surroundings. More are planned.
- The adoption system seems to be working well. Nice to see our guruji B K S Iyengar amongst the donors
- There are many many trees and this makes the place cool and absolutely pretty.
- Especially the wetlands, which by itself is worth the entrance fee we are charged.
- 'No plastic' rule is seriously implemented.
Here a few pictures for you to enjoy!
 |
| As we enter. |
 |
| It is a challenge to focus past the grills |
 |
| The white tiger. |
 |
| Two young cubs frolic |
 |
| Our ancestors should approve! |
 |
| Rhea maintains a safe distance |
 |
Mysooru mallige is a must!
|
 |
| Rohini says it is a rare view! Asian and African elephants as neighbours. |
 |
Leela has her first taste of tender coconut water. It was kind of good she said!
|
 |
| And the pulp! |
 |
| The cat could not climb higher. Hope they do something about it. |
 |
| Will probably get a new home. |
 |
The smile Rhea gave when she was told that the bird in the enclosure is RHEA!
 |
 |
| Leela has a long way to go to compete with a giraffe! |
Comments
Did they have any petting area for small children, like they have here? Perhaps you could suggest it to them!
Varad
Rama
Good idea to start a movement to educate people about keeping our tourists spots clean!
Nidhi