The Thiruvananthapuram museum and zoo compound, a 55-acre complex of the Travancore kings

Background

A proposal by the Chief Minister of Kerala to shift the 167-year-old zoo out of the city to a forest neighbourhood has put the compound under public debate. The museum and zoo were formally established in 1855; the museum opened to the public in 1857 and the zoo and public gardens followed in 1859. The collection of exotic animals began in the reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal of Travancore. The compound covers 55 acres, of which about 30 acres are animal enclosures, and holds over a thousand animals of nearly a hundred species along with the museum, a botanical garden and art galleries. Sites under consideration for a relocated zoo include the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, which spans 128 square kilometres, the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary at 53 square kilometres and the Agasthyavanam Biological Park Range at 32 square kilometres. Kerala already has a precedent: the Thrissur zoo was moved from its city-centre site to the 336-acre Puthur Zoological Park, developed at about ₹369 crore. Moving a zoological park next to protected forest would need environmental impact assessments and statutory clearances.