The lockdowns imposed due to the ongoing global pandemic affected many tourist sites including the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. However, after a long closure, the park opened for the general public on October 4. In fact, the iconic tourist hotspot is now seeing a steady increase in daily footfall.
“Before opening the zoo for people, we made arrangements so that there were sanitisers available for people. We are also following all COVID-19 appropriate protocols and promoting online ticketing. In the first week, we had also put restrictions so that not many people came to visit the zoo at one time. Initially, 300 to 400 people visited per day. The number has now increased to 1,500 to 2,000 visitors per day, and we are hosting around 25,000 tourists in a month”, said Hari Shankar Upadhyay, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden.
Measures taken by the park management, Cooperation of the staff, and strict maintenance of social distancing is also being appreciated by the visitors. “The zoo authorities have made a very good arrangement for sanitisation, and all COVID-19 norms are being followed. The staff is wearing cooperative and following all government’s protocols. The staff is ensuring that thermal scanning is done at the entrance and people follow social distancing inside the zoo. The kids are enjoying a lot”, said Dilip Kumar Das, a visitor.
Notably, the park has also started a virtual tour that takes virtual visitors on a ride among animals, botanical gardens, Kanjia lake and more via simulation. The virtual tour includes a sequence of videos and still images providing a 360-degree view of all the zoo enclosures and exhibits.
“Now you can take a virtual tour of Nandankanan staying at home. Go to nandankanan.org/tour or nandankanan.org for an incredible experience,” said a post from the official Twitter account of Nandankanan Zoological Park.