On 18th of February in 2007, I embarked on a journey to see the wildlife in an enclosure at Alipur in Kolkata. The place is called Zoological Garden. It is wonderful place to visit in the holidays. It is in front of the famous National Library of Kolkata. I took a bus 3D/1 and went straight to the Alipur Zoological Garden. I entered the zoo after paying an entry fee of Rs. 10. I entered through the revolving gate.
The garden is beautifully decorated with a large number of trees of various species with nice sign boards welcoming the visitors. I started my tour from the left hand side of the zoo and observed the animals kept in an enclosure. The birds are kept in cages. The zoo has lots of canteens and it is neat and clean. It is properly maintained with zoo-keepers giving the animals food at regular intervals.
I started observing the animals. As I saw the animals, I noted their names and the places they are found in the world. It is nice to see such large number of animals in one place. A visitor gets interested in wildlife and becomes conscious of the animals that live in the planet in which he also lives. The animals I studied are as follows:
1. Green Pheasant (rain forests, mountains, islands of Japan).
2. Common Peafowl (Pakistan, India, Ceylon).
3. Lady Amherst pheasant (Tibet, Southwestern China).
4. Gayal (Peninsular India, Assam, Burma).
5. Barking Deer (China, Burma, Nepal, Assam).
6. Common Marmoset (Eastern Brazil).
7. Swamp deer.
8. Gharial.
9. Nilgai.
10. Brow-antlered deer.
11. Python (East India).
12. Red sand snake.
13. Indian land monitor (India, Sri Lanka).
14. Checkered keelback rattle snake.
15. Indian Cobra (South Asia).
16. Sand Boa (India, plains of North Eastern, Central, and South India).
17. Vine Snake (South East Asia, India, Burma).
18. Indian Rat Snake (South and Southeast Asia).
19. Tucktoo (Southeast Asia, northeast India, Burma, South China).
20. Assamese Macaque (Himalayas from Mussorrie eastward to the hill ranges of Assam and forest of Sundarban).
21. Bonnet Monkey (Peninsular India).
22. Hamadryas Baboon (both sides of Red Sea).
23. Common Langur (India, Ceylon).
24. Grey Peacock Pheasant (Sikkim, Bhutan, Assam, hills of south through Cachar and Manipur).
25. Java Sparrow (Java, Sumatra, Malacca, Venezuela).
26. Budgerigar (Australia).
27. Japanese Quail (Japan).
28. Java Sparrow.
29. Silver Diamond Dove (Australia).
30. White Fallow Deer (Europe).
31. Serpent Eagle (West Africa, Gold Coast to Congo).
32. Pariah Kite (India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, Sri Lanka).
33. Cape Crowned Crane (South Africa).
34. Golden Pheasant (Mountains of Central China).
35. Indian Peafowl (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka).
36. Reeve Pheasant (Central and Northern China).
37. Blue Rosering Parakeet (India, Pakistan).
38. Painted Stork (Pakistan, etc.)
39. Sarus Crane (Pakistan, India, China, Burma, Thailand, Cochin to China).
40. Ring necked Pheasant (foothills of Caucasus through Turkestan, Mongolia, Central China, Manchuria).
41. Golden Pheasant (Central China).
42. Violadaceous touracou (West Africa).
43. Cockatiel (Australia, Tasmania).
44. Indian Lion (Gir forest of Junagadh district in Gujrat).
45. Hippopotamus.
46. Leopard (India).
47. Jaguar (Central and South America).
48. Elephant (found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo).
49. Moluccan Cockatoo (Indonesia).
50. Grey Parrot (Equatorial Africa from Gold Coast and Congo Basin across Uganda to Kavirondo on the east of Victoria).
51. Bare-eyed Cockatoo (Australia and New Guinea, except central western part).
52. Red and Blue Macaw (Eastern Panama, Northern Columbia, Venezuela, Guineas, Southeast Peru, Central Brazil).
53. Green sulphur crested cockatoo (East, Northeast, and Northern Australia).
54. Citron Crested Cockatoo (Indonesia).
The New Reptile House contains a variety of snakes and it was inaugurated by Sri Krishnapada Ghosh, Labor Department, Government of West Bengal. It was inaugurated in 24th July 1979.
Burdwan House was established in 1879 by Late Maharajadhiraja Mahtab Chand Bahadur.
The open-air enclosure of elephants was inaugurated by the former chief minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu in 1st March 1999.
As we enter the zoo, we find a huge sign board made by UCO BANK. It demonstrates the composition of zoo. It enlists the specific names of houses where the animals of different species are kept. They are as follows:
1. Zebra.
2. Pea fowl enclosure.
3. Gayal, Emu.
4. Open-air enclosure for bear.
5. Barking deer.
6. Porcupine.
7. Marmoset.
8. Fishing Cat.
9. Saras crane, swamp deer.
10. Barking deer.
11. Toilet.
12. Crocodile pool ---Crocodile, gharial.
13. Hoolock Island --- Grey Lag Goose, Adjutant Stork.
14. Gubbay House ---Bonnet Monkey, Assamese Monkey.
15. Mullick House--- Pheasant, Parakeet.
16. Sone-Bursa Enclosure --- Nilgai, Hog Deer.
17. Demoiselle crane, black stork.
18. Lynx House --- Indian Fox.
19. Jhind House --- Spoonbill.
20. Schwendler House --- Macaw, Cuckatoo, Grey Parrot.
21. Murshidabad House ---Pheasant, dove, imperial pigeon, Nicobar pigeon.
22. Swarnamoyee House --- Canada Goose, Peacock, peasant, hill mynah, white ibis.
The Zoological Garden at Alipur has a wonderful and magnificient collection of fauna around the world. It gives us a chance to see those animals that we will not be able to see in our life in our country. We only study those animals in Zoology text books but a living animals moving about in a park generates a lot of interest in the young and the old people.
Why should we visit the Zoological Garden?
First, we come to know of the wildlife around the world.
Second, it gives us a practical knowledge of the way the animals behave, make sounds, that is communicate among themselves.
Thirdly, it gives us an interest in animal life and some visitor would like to study the animals by specializing in Zoology.
Fourth, people studying zoology after visiting this zoo would like to pursue in research of animals after seeing them live in the zoo!!