Six-year-old Rehan had travelled from Bengaluru with his parents and grandparents to Shivamogga. A visit to Tyavarekoppa Zoo and Safari was a key component in their itinerary.
A view of the Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari near Shivamogga.
| Photo Credit:
Sathish GT
The 45-minute safari on the minibus was a treat for the child, his parents, grandparents and every other passenger. The first enclosure was meant for herbivores – spotted deer, sambar deer, blackbuck and nilgai. The next entry was to the tiger safari. The vehicle passes through two gates, and the second one being opened only after the previous one is properly closed. The tigers – Sita and Nivedita – were taking rest close to the retiring rooms. The animals looked unperturbed by the vehicles and the passengers, who were busy clicking photographs. The lion safari threw a surprise to the passengers. Two lions were relaxing by the road, and the tourists in the vehicles were a few feet away from them. Later, the driver-cum-guide took the passengers to the gaur safari, the first safari of gaurs in the country.
Many zoos, including the one in Shivamogga, have been conducting various activities involving schoolchildren and college students to inculcate the interest to understand the wildlife.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Evolution of zoos
Early zoos across the world were called menageries, where wealthy and powerful people maintained wild animals. Ordinary people had no access to such a collection of animals. The modern zoo has a history of a few hundred years. In the last two centuries, the zoos saw revolutionary changes as the idea of conservation of wild animals gained importance.
Nowadays the main objective of setting up zoos is to inspire empathy for wild animals among common people, educate them about wildlife and spread awareness of the need for its conservation. Many zoos, including the one in Shivamogga, have been conducting various activities involving schoolchildren and college students to inculcate the interest to understand the wildlife.
Visitors at Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari.
| Photo Credit:
SATHISH G_T
“Zoo is the place where people from all age groups in a family get time and space to interact. From children to older people, everybody will be curious to see wild animals, and children will have many questions. They engage in dialogue with parents and grandparents about the forest, animals, food chain, biodiversity, ecological balance and many more such things,” said V.M. Amarakshara, executive director of the zoo.
Lion spotted in the Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Tyavarekoppa Zoo and Safari was established in 1988. Earlier, Shivamogga city had a mini zoo – Municipal Zoo – located at Mahatma Gandhi Park, in the heart of the city. Then it was maintained by the urban local body. In the 1980s, the government thought of a zoo on the outskirts of Shivamogga – Tyavarekoppa. The foundation stone was laid in 1984, and the place was ready to accommodate animals by 1988.
Shivamogga Zilla Panchayat, Malnad Area Development Board, Mysore Paper Mills of Bhadravathi and Karnataka Forest Department joined hands to set up the zoo. The animals that were located at the mini zoo in Shivamogga city were shifted to the new place in December 1992.
A view of the safari in the area of herbivores in the Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari and Zoo near Shivamogga.
| Photo Credit:
SATHISH GT
Not really ‘small zoo’
Gradually, new enclosures were added and the number of wild animals increased. Separate enclosures were constructed for leopards, hyenas, sloth bears, jackals, crocodiles and porcupines in 1996-97. The Central Zoo Authority has placed the zoo under the ‘small zoo’ category. Given the area and facilities, the zoo deserves the ‘medium zoo’ category. However, to claim that status, the zoo should have at least 10 endangered species and the individual count of endangered animals should be 50. Right now, the zoo has six endangered species, and the animal count is 31.
One of the ideas behind the exchange programme is to change the bloodline.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The zoo has an animal exchange programme with other zoos located in Karnataka and outside to increase the number of species and the animal count. It has got many animals, including gaurs, a mandarin duck from Mysuru Zoo, a striped hyena from Hampi Zoo, and a lion from Gadag Zoo. Recently, for the first time, it received gharial, rhea, porcupine and sun conure from a zoo outside Karnataka – Thiruvananthapuram. One of the ideas behind the exchange programme is to change the bloodline.
Breeding among wild animals in captive conditions is seldom successful. “However, in our zoo, the success rate is good in the case of ostrich, yellow golden pheasant, black swan, peafowl, red jungle fowl, gaur, Asian palm civet, jackal, marsh crocodile, hyena, python, langur, sloth bear, hippo, mandarin duck, emu and a few other animals,” the executive director said. The zoo is also a rescue centre. The wild animals rescued from Shivamogga and neighbouring districts are brought to the centre and treated.
The zoo has a good collection of animals that include mammals, birds and reptiles.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Centralised kitchen
The zoo, managed by the Zoo Authority of Karnataka, has both native and non-native animal species. It has a centralised kitchen from where food is served to all animals. The zoo needs around 110 kilos of carabeef and chicken and 25 eggs, besides vegetables, every day. The food is prepared as per the advice of the health advisory committee that includes veterinarians, senior professors from the veterinary college and wildlife experts. The in-house veterinary officer, Dr. Murali Manohar, monitors the health of animals in the zoo.
The carnivores get carabeef and chicken once a day, normally in the evening. Herbivores get food twice a day. Their food mainly consists of wheat bran, vegetables, green leaves, fruits, green grasses and grains. Birds get grains, green leaves, fruits and vegetables, and birds of prey are offered chicken and fish. Python gets live rabbits and chicken once a week. The zoo spends nearly ₹25 lakh a month on food items for the animals.
The zoo is handled by the staff deputed from the Forest Department and those appointed by the authority. Five officials, including the executive director, are from the Forest Department. As many as 28 employees are on the payroll of the zoo authority. They have the skills to handle the animals. Besides that, there are 18 daily wage workers. The zoo earns roughly ₹5 crore by selling entry tickets in a year. The amount collected is sufficient only for regular maintenance. However, for expansion and other activities, the zoo depends on the allocation of funds from the authority.
Education activity
The visitors have the option to adopt animals in the zoo. The officers have displayed a price chart at the entrance of the zoo for adoption. Those who are interested can adopt animals by paying the fixed amount. As per the chart, the cost to adopt a tiger or lion per year is ₹2 lakh. The amount varies with the species.
To motivate the visitors to take to adoption, the zoo is set to introduce ZooVista project. Under this project, the visitors are taken on a 3D virtual tour in an air-conditioned unit. “Now we are getting 3D photos for the virtual tour. The virtual tour gives a distinct experience to the visitors. We are launching it to motivate people to adopt their favourite animals,” the officer said.
The zoo has been conducting many activities engaging students. This summer, the zoo is holding three-day camps for students in classes VI to X. The first batch will begin on April 4. The officers have planned five batches this summer. Those who are interested in joining the camp can call up the education officer at 93533-59573 or the public relations officer at 8217464515.
Published – March 28, 2025 09:00 am IST
