Leela and Rhea had a great time at the Mysore Zoo

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

Gayathri said…
That is such a lovely account - Grandpa's day out! I have truly fond memories of going to the very same zoo with my grandfather - and then with my father and Aparna n Aditi. Aparna gave a similar smile when she was told that the elephant's name was Apu! I have to dig out the picture. Gayathri
Thanks Gayathri. Nothing to beat an outing with your grandchildren!
N L Sriram said…
Very nice, can't recall the last time that I visited a zoo in India, as we did get to see a reasonably good range of domesticated animals (and monkeys of course) on the streets, unlike here.

Did they have any petting area for small children, like they have here? Perhaps you could suggest it to them!
Nidhi, am not able to make out who enjoyed the zoo visit more, the kids or the grandpa!!

Varad
Leela & Rhea said…
We went to the zoo and there we saw our favourite animals. They were the jaguar, giraffe, macaw, cheetah and tiger. Thanks for taking us. It was really fun.
Rama Gopinath said…
Great pictures and comments. Did they really keep the straws used for coconut water separate and discard it properly! Wish they would do the same in Hampi too. Nidhi this might be your second calling, making sure all the tourist spots in Karnataka are kept clean :)) At least you can start a movement. Post the pictures of the clean beautiful zoo in local papers. We were in Gagana chukki and Bhara chukki falls in November. They are breath taking, but the crowds leave trash all over the place inspite of nice trash cans provided . I especially enjoyed walking down the stairs at Bhara chukki up to the river. Beautiful. We have so many amazing places and sights in India.


Rama
Thanks Rama. I forgot add that straws are not used! They pour out the coconut water into a mug and give it you in a paper cup. Impressive!
Good idea to start a movement to educate people about keeping our tourists spots clean!
Nidhi

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