Alipore Zoological Garden

The Zoological Garden, Alipore (also informally called the Alipore Zoo or Kolkata Zoo) is India's oldest formally stated zoological park and a major tourist attraction in Kolkata, West Bengal. Established on September 24, 1875, and opened to the public on May 6, 1876, it covers 18.81 hectares (46.5 acres) of land.

The zoo is best known as the home of the Aldabra giant tortoise Adwaita, who was reputed to have been over 250 years old when he died in 2006. It is also home to one of the few captive breeding projects involving the Manipur brow-antlered deer, which has been brought back from the brink of extinction.

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Kolkata, the zoo draws huge crowds during the winter season, especially during December and January. The highest attendance till date was on January 1, 2018 with 110,000 visitors in a single day. The zoo receives approximately 3 million visitors annually, making it more popular than any other tourist attraction in Kolkata.

The zoo had its roots in a private menagerie established by Governor General of India, Richard Wellesley, around 1800 in his summer home at Barrackpore near Kolkata, as part of the Indian Natural History Project. The first superintendent of the menagerie was the famous Scottish physician zoologist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton.

The foundation of zoos in major cities around the world caused a growing thought among the British community in Kolkata that the menagerie should be upgraded to a formal zoological garden. In 1873, the Lieutenant-Governor Sir Richard Temple formally proposed the formation of a zoo in Kolkata, and the Government finally allotted land for the zoo based on the joint petition of the Asiatic Society and Agri-Horticultural Society.

The zoo was formally opened in Alipore and inaugurated on January 1, 1876 by Edward VII, then Prince of Wales. The initial stock consisted of the private menagerie of Carl Louis Schwendler (known as the 'Father of the Zoo'), a German electrician who was posted in India. The zoo was thrown open to the public on May 6, 1876.

The first Indian superintendent of the zoo was Ram Brahma Sanyal, who did much to improve the standing of the Alipore Zoo and achieved good captive breeding success in an era when such initiatives were rarely heard of. One such success story was a live birth of the rare Sumatran rhinoceros in 1889 - the next pregnancy in captivity occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1997.

The most famous specimen in the zoo was probably the Aldabra giant tortoise "Adwaita", who died in 2006 at an estimated age of over 250 years - making him a contender for the longest-lived animal ever recorded.

Adwaita was a gift to the zoo and became one of its most beloved residents. His longevity and gentle nature made him a symbol of the zoo's rich history and commitment to animal care. Adwaita's legacy continues to attract visitors who remember seeing him during their childhood visits to the zoo.

Laid out on 45 acres (18 hectares) of land, the zoo contains a Reptile House (a new one has been built), a Primate House, an Elephant House, and a Panther House which opens out onto the open air enclosures for the lions and tigers.

The zoo also boasts of a glass-walled enclosure for tigers, the first of its kind in India. A separate Children's zoo is present, and the central water bodies inside the zoo grounds attract migratory birds. The Calcutta Aquarium lies across the street from the zoo and is affiliated to the zoo.

The zoo has increased the number of open air enclosures and is downsizing to meet animal comfort requirements laid down by the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI).