Katraj zoo to finally reopen on March 20

PUNE The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre, located at Katraj, is gearing up to open its doors to the public after a gap of two years on March 20

PUNE The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre, located at Katraj, is gearing up to open its doors to the public after a gap of two years on March 20. The zoo had shut its doors on March 14, 2020 and has been waiting for a nod from the higher authorities to reopen.

The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre, located at Katraj, is gearing up to open its doors to the public after a gap of two years on March 20 (HT FILE PHOTO)

“We are in the process of cleaning and maintenance work inside the zoo premises. People will get to see 63 species including the Shekhru and wild cats’ enclosures. It will be a test for us too to welcome people to the zoo,” said Dr Rajkumar Jadhav, director, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre.

The tickets for the zoo are priced at ₹40 for adults and ₹10 for children. Although the zoo is relying on the manual ticketing system, in preparation of the day that the state reopens its zoos, they have also initiated an online ticketing system to control crowds.

A notification issued by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on March 14 states that the entire zoo will be opened as per pre-Covid timings as long as citizens follow all Covid guidelines.

Dr Jadhav said, “People have to be vaccinated twice and there is still no clarification about small children but 18 years and above will be allowed only after they carry the vaccination certificate.”

The zoo is located at Katraj and has been closed since March 2020 when the nationwide lockdown was first announced in the wake of Covid-19. While the PMC had reopened the gardens for the public as part of the easing of Covid norms, the zoo at Katraj continued to remain out of bounds for the public.