Arignar Anna Zoological Park

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The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, also known as the Vandalur Zoo, is located in Vandalur, 30 kilometers from the city of Chennai, India and 15 kilometers from Chennai Airport on GST Road.

Founded in 1855, the Arignar Anna Zoological Park was the first public zoo in India. Originally called the Madras Zoo, it was situated in People's Park near Park Town. By 1975, the zoo had expanded and had to be moved out of the city. In 1979, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department set aside 1300 acres (5.2 km²) on the outskirts of the city to build the current zoo, which is one of the largest in South Asia.

1 Visitor information
2 Gallery
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Visitor information

The zoo is open from 9.00am to 6.00pm all days, except Tuesdays. All the animals, especially the big cats are back in their cages after 5.00pm. So, most tourists prefer to visit these before going on to the other exhibits.

One can easily end up walking 10-15 km across the stretch of the park. The battery-operated vehicles are also available for rent. However, there are only 5-7 vehicles. Each vehicle carries approximately 15-20 people.

There is a restaurant, an ice cream parlor and a drinks counter - all situated near the entrance. However, there aren't too many refreshment counters within the zoo.