My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
A visit to Tirupati usually entails a hectic visit to temples and nothing more. This time, however, since we had so much time on our hands, we decided to take Samhith to some place where he could have fun too…… The first of these was the zoo. Yes, Tirupati has a zoo – the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, located about 12 Km from the Tirupati Railway station. The zoo is spread over 5500 acres, and to really enjoy it, one needs to spend the entire day there!
We took an auto from the Srinivasam Complex to the zoo, and were surprised to hear that we could tour the entire zoo in the auto itself. We were rather skeptical at first, but then agreed, since, after climbing the hill, we weren’t in the mood to exert ourselves just to see a few animals! But the zoo turned out to be a surprise – well maintained, with few cages, mostly moats keeping the animals segregated…. It is certainly one of the best zoos I have seen so far, and we had a wonderful time there….
I won’t waste time writing about the zoo and the animals we saw. The zoo has a wonderful website, which includes a virtual tour, so you can head over there and see all that it offers…. So, you can head over to http://www.svzoo.org/ for the details, and meanwhile, you can join me as I take you around the zoo through my photos
Macaques.....
Water Birds..... This, for once, was really clean and nice to see...
Deer..
I loved this board....
Black Buck...
Pheasants........
A Nilgai which ventured really close to us....
A majestic Sambhar which was busy trying to eat....
The Lions.....
More deer...
This is the only reasonably good pic I was able to take of the birds....
These star tortoises seemed to be happy in the birds' enclosure!
More big cats...
Baloo (Sloth Bear) didn't seem to want to get out of the rain!
Wild boar seemed cleaner than usual!
Crocodiles enjoyed their siesta...
An Emu...
A Gharial...
By the time we were through, we were too tired for words, in spite of being driven around in an auto. This is one place worth taking kids to...
Information:
Website: http://www.svzoo.org/
Zoo timings:
Summer 8.00 AM to 6.00 PM
Winter 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM
Zoo remains closed for visitors on every Monday of the week.
Zoo remains open on Mondays too if it is a general holiday or a festive day.
Entry fee particulars:
Adult : Rupees 5/- per head(Indian currency)
Children(aged between 5 and 12): Rupees 2/-
Groups of school children : free entry.
Summer 8.00 AM to 6.00 PM
Winter 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM
Zoo remains closed for visitors on every Monday of the week.
Zoo remains open on Mondays too if it is a general holiday or a festive day.
Entry fee particulars:
Adult : Rupees 5/- per head(Indian currency)
Children(aged between 5 and 12): Rupees 2/-
Groups of school children : free entry.
Vehicle Charges (for driving inside)
Auto: Rs. 75
2 Wheelers: Rs. 50
4 Wheelers : Rs. 150
Golf carts are also available for riding inside, but there is a requirement of minimum 8 passengers. Per head charge is Rs. 60.
Autos charge Rs. 250 for a visit to the Zoo, exclusive of the zoo entry charges.
Autos charge Rs. 250 for a visit to the Zoo, exclusive of the zoo entry charges.
Looks very clean and the animals seem happy too!!
ReplyDeleteLoved the pics, the tiger is majestic and also loved the turtles...
I can imagine Samhith having a great time! What a variety of animals in one place!
ReplyDeleteI too loved the board with animals sending strong messages.
ReplyDeleteThere is a gleam in the eyes of the first tiger. I loved the star turtles too. they are an endangered species.Recently one was found near Ramanthapuram during the recent rains as it was searching for warm place to park itself, rescued.
nice post with good pictures...
ReplyDeleteWow... Anu ji...!
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice experience eying these beautiful pics...really pleasant to look at.
Interesting... Tirupathi has a Zoo..this is a news to me too.. I have been avoiding Tirupathi for long because of the unpredictability of Dharshan timing and accommodation related issues.. I guess, I need to make a trip soon..So much to see, so near my place..Your Tirupathi posts are being good catalysts for me to plan a trip. Hope to revert with a post on my blog.
ReplyDelete@Arti: It is really clean.. thats what struck me at once... also theres so much space, theres lots of place for all the animals not to be completely restricted...
ReplyDelete@Mridula: oh yes, he loved every bit of it! and its one of the few zoos i have enjoyed visiting!
@Chitra: It was a nice way to get the point across... and yes, this was the first tiger I have seen which looked at least wild!!! as to the tortoises,there were so many... from what i heard, many of the animals have been the ones rescued from circuses, or found like the one u mentioned..
@Sai: thanks a lot, and welcome here!
@Jitendra Jauhar: thanks so much! welcome to my space!
@Sridharan: yes, i guess you should make a visit again. i agree with the unpredictability and that it makes us less interested in visiting, but somehow, this is one place i love visiting in spite of all that!
Awesome photographs, Anu.
ReplyDelete