Description of the attraction
The Zoological Garden of Kolkata, or as it is also called the Alipor Zoo, located in West Bengal, is the oldest official zoo in India - it was opened back in 1876. The beginning of the garden was laid by Bengali Governor General Arthur Willezley, who back in 1800 created a private menagerie on his own land, near Calcutta. But soon after that, Willezley left India, and the famous Scottish zoologist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton became the manager of the zoo. Later, at the urging of the public and the help of Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Temple, the government officially allocated the land for the zoo. The place for it was chosen in the wealthy suburb of Calcutta - Alipore.
Initially, the animals for the zoological garden from his own menagerie were provided by Karl Louis Schwendler, a German electrician who at the time was building a railroad in the state.
At the moment, the zoo has a truly unique collection of a wide variety of animals from all over the world - Indian elephants, royal Bengal tigers, African lions, emus, jaguars, Indian rhinos and others. Also, until recently, the zoological garden was known for the giant turtle Addvaita, whose age was 250 years old, but, unfortunately, she died in 2006.
Since the second half of the 20th century, there has been a lot of criticism towards the management of the zoo due to the lack of adequate breeding programs for rare animals and because of programs for crossing different species. There are also demonstrations that are directed against the conservative policies of the zoological garden and for improving the living conditions for the animals living there. But despite this, the zoo is still one of the most beloved and visited places in Kolkata.
