Delhi zoo to reopen Saturday after two-month shutdown following bird flu

Over the past two months, the zoo had been under lockdown, with extensive sanitisation and preventive measures carried out on the premises

The wait is finally over for animal lovers and visitors to the national capital — the Delhi zoo will reopen on Saturday, more than two months after it was shut following a bird flu outbreak.

Zoo officials said all the \usual safety and preventive measures will continue to be followed at the park. (HT Archive)

Over the past two months, the zoo had been under lockdown, with extensive sanitisation and preventive measures carried out on the premises. No fresh positive samples have been reported since September 2.

Officials said the latest batch of samples collected on October 30 also tested negative, following which permission to reopen was sought and granted by the Union environment ministry on Thursday.

“Following the guidelines under Chapter Six of the ‘Action Taken for Preparedness, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza’ issued by the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, samples were collected every 15 days for four rounds, and all the latest samples tested negative at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal,” said Sanjeet Kumar, Delhi zoo director, in a statement on Friday.

“Now, after receiving approval from the competent authority, the National Zoological Park (Delhi zoo) will reopen for visitors from November 8,” Kumar said, adding that all usual safety and preventive measures will continue to be followed.

On October 12, zoo officials had announced that although no birds had tested positive for bird flu in the previous month, more samples would be collected, and the reopening would not take place before October 30.

This is the third closure of the Delhi zoo due to avian influenza in recent years, with previous shutdowns recorded in 2016 and 2021. Established in 1959, the zoo houses 96 species of animals, birds and reptiles, spread over 176 acres.