Hyderabad: The Christmas holiday drew record footfall at the Nehru Zoological Park, as 23,440 visitors thronged the zoo in a single day.
From early morning, families and tourists poured into the zoo to watch their favourite animals. As a result, the park witnessed one of its highest single-day turnouts in recent years.
Moreover, the recent addition of new animal species boosted visitor interest. The Hyderabad zoo added zebras, meerkats, serval cats, barasingha and white swans to its collection. The zoo brought these animals through exchange programmes with other zoos across the country.
Hyderabad zoo footfall rises after addition of new animals
Anticipating heavy crowds, zoo authorities made elaborate arrangements in advance. Accordingly, officials deployed additional officers across the premises and opened extra ticket booking counters to manage queues.
In addition, the management arranged extra drinking water facilities and stationed volunteers to assist visitors with ticket booking. At the same time, sanitation teams worked throughout the day to clear disposable waste and maintain cleanliness.
To further engage visitors, animal keepers conducted interactive talk sessions. The zoo also organised a snake awareness programme to spread wildlife awareness among families and children.
Meanwhile, curator J. Vasantha thanked visitors for choosing the Hyderabad zoo as their holiday destination. Officials noted that the zoo houses 199 species of wild animals from different countries and continues to attract large crowds during major holidays.