The Delhi zoo is set to be reopened for visitors from August 1, more than three months after it had to be shut due to the number of covid-19 cases peaking during the second wave of the pandemic, zoo officials said on Monday.

Delhi zoo director Ramesh Kumar Pandey said it will be opened in two shifts as earlier. “We are planning to open the National Zoological Park (Delhi zoo) from August 1. Preparations are on in order to keep things in order. It will be opened in two shifts as earlier. Online booking will open from July 31, a day ahead of the opening,” said Pandey. The morning shift will start from 8am to 12pm while the second shift will be from 1pm to 5pm. “Visitors can buy tickets either through the zoo’s website or at the entry gates using QR codes. This time, we will allow 1,500 entries in each slot, adding up to 3,000 daily visitors,” said a senior official.

The zoo was closed on March 18 last year, and remained so for over a year due to the pandemic and bird flu. It finally reopened on April 1 this year, only to be closed again on April 15 as the second wave of the pandemic struck. In April, the zoo allowed only 2,000 daily — 1,000 in each slot. Pandey said the zoo recorded only 124 animal deaths, the lowest over the last three years, while it remained closed for public in 2020-21. “We have introduced cycles for staff to move around the premises and have asked them not to use (other) two-wheelers or cars. This to keep a healthy environment within the zoo premises,” he said. He added that at present, there are 94 species and 1,162 animals in the zoo. “Soon, we will be increasing the number of species to 100 as part of various exchange programmes that have been pending,” he said.

News Source : Indian Express