Shivamogga zoo: Shifting focus to education and conservation Premium

The 45-minute safari on the minibus was a treat for the child, his parents, grandparents and every other passenger. The first enclosure was meant for herbivores – spotted deer, sambar deer, blackbuck and nilgai. The next entry was to the tiger safari. The vehicle passes through two gates, and the second one being opened only after the previous one is properly closed. The tigers – Sita and Nivedita – were taking rest close to the retiring rooms. The animals looked unperturbed by the vehicles and the passengers, who were busy clicking photographs. The lion safari threw a surprise to the passengers. Two lions were relaxing by the road, and the tourists in the vehicles were a few feet away from them. Later, the driver-cum-guide took the passengers to the gaur safari, the first safari of gaurs in the country.

Six-year-old Rehan had travelled from Bengaluru with his parents and grandparents to Shivamogga. A visit to Tyavarekoppa Zoo and Safari was a key component in their itinerary.

The 45-minute safari on the minibus was a treat for the child, his parents, grandparents and every other passenger. The first enclosure was meant for herbivores – spotted deer, sambar deer, blackbuck and nilgai. The next entry was to the tiger safari. The vehicle passes through two gates, and the second one being opened only after the previous one is properly closed. The tigers – Sita and Nivedita – were taking rest close to the retiring rooms. The animals looked unperturbed by the vehicles and the passengers, who were busy clicking photographs. The lion safari threw a surprise to the passengers. Two lions were relaxing by the road, and the tourists in the vehicles were a few feet away from them. Later, the driver-cum-guide took the passengers to the gaur safari, the first safari of gaurs in the country.

Early zoos across the world were called menageries, where wealthy and powerful people maintained wild animals. Ordinary people had no access to such a collection of animals. The modern zoo has a history of a few hundred years. In the last two centuries, the zoos saw revolutionary changes as the idea of conservation of wild animals gained importance.

Nowadays the main objective of setting up zoos is to inspire empathy for wild animals among common people, educate them about wildlife and spread awareness of the need for its conservation. Many zoos, including the one in Shivamogga, have been conducting various activities involving schoolchildren and college students to inculcate the interest to understand the wildlife.

“Zoo is the place where people from all age groups in a family get time and space to interact. From children to older people, everybody will be curious to see wild animals, and children will have many questions. They engage in dialogue with parents and grandparents about the forest, animals, food chain, biodiversity, ecological balance and many more such things,” said V.M. Amarakshara, executive director of the zoo.

The Tyavarekoppa Zoo and Safari was established in 1988. Earlier, Shivamogga city had a mini zoo – Municipal Zoo – located at Mahatma Gandhi Park, in the heart of the city. Then it was maintained by the urban local body. In the 1980s, the government thought of a zoo on the outskirts of Shivamogga – Tyavarekoppa. The foundation stone was laid in 1984, and the place was ready to accommodate animals by 1988.

Shivamogga Zilla Panchayat, Malnad Area Development Board, Mysore Paper Mills of Bhadravathi and Karnataka Forest Department joined hands to set up the zoo. The animals that were located at the mini zoo in Shivamogga city were shifted to the new place in December 1992.