Projects take a backseat as Chhatbir Zoo suffers loss of ₹3.5 crore amid pandemic

Will take six months to recover the losses; Dinosaur Park, an aquarium and an exchange project for exotic animals come to a grinding halt.

Off limits for the public for the past four months, the Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, popularly known as Chhatbir Zoo, has suffered a loss of Rs 3.5 crore due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Before it closed its gates in March, the zoo was earning Rs 1.8 lakh a day with the help of 3,000 visitors daily.

Thanks to the steep losses, work on the Dinosaur Park, an aquarium and an exchange project for exotic animals has come to a grinding halt.

Before it closed its gates in March, the zoo was earning Rs 1.8 lakh a day with the help of 3,000 visitors daily and was hoping to become self-reliant in the next two years.

On the flip side, it will now take the zoo six months to help its accounts tide over the losses.

The Punjab government had planned a Dinosaur Park on two acres in the zoo at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore. Completed 50% so far, it is being developed on public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

As part of an exotic animal exchange programme, the zoo was to import animals from Africa, including zebras, giraffes, chimpanzees and gorillas.

A bask of gharials, endemic to the Indian subcontinent, at the zoo. (HT File Photo)

“Last year, we collected a revenue of Rs 6.5 crore. This year, we have already suffered a loss of Rs 3.5 crore. There is no certainty on when the new projects will see the light of the day, while it will take at least six months to recover from the losses,” said zoo field director M Sudhagar.

Over the past few months before the lockdown, the zoo was equipped with numerous new features to attract visitors, such as an aviary and new ticket counters, besides road maintenance.

The zoo spends about Rs 30 lakh a month on meat, fodder, grains, fruits and vegetables for the animals. Its revenue comes from outsourcing the parking, canteen and lion safari – all of which have been closed due to the pandemic.

A gaggle of geese, one of the major delights for the younger visitors at the zoo. (HT File Photo)

The tickets are priced at Rs 80 for adults and Rs 40 for children, which, on an average, contributes to a daily revenue of Rs 1.8 lakh. Lion and deer safari tickets cost Rs 75 per visitor.

“We were aiming at becoming self-reliant in two years, but that seems a pipe dream now,” said a zoo staffer, not willing to be named.