Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is situated in the state capital of Kerala, India, in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. Its 22 acres are made up of lakes, lawns, and forests.

Among the oldest zoos in India is the one in Thiruvananthapuram. The Museum and Botanical Gardens are also among the nation's oldest institutions of their sort. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo were founded with the help of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma (1816–1846), the Travancore monarch from 1830–1846. In his horse breeding facility, he kept a wide range of animals, including elephants. He built a menagerie within the Trivandrum stables and kept tigers, panthers, cheetahs, deer, bears, and a lioness there. But the creation of the Napier Museum and Zoo at Thiruvananthapuram was left to his brother Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma and the then-British Resident General Cullen.

In 1855, the Maharaja of Travancore established a committee with General Cullen as its president, The Elaya Raja as vice president, Mr. Allen Brown as secretary, and the Maharaja of Travancore serving as a patron. In September 1857, the Museum opened to the public. However, the Museum was unable to draw in many visitors on its own, so in 1859 a zoo and a park were established. When the zoo was first constructed, it had the conventional iron-barred cages that were in vogue at the time and were intended for recreational use. However, as more forests and wildlife have been lost as a result of human development, the zoo's focus has shifted from recreation to conservation.

Year Established: 1857
Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India