Hyderabad: Walk-through aviary at Nehru Zoo Park soon

HYDERABAD: Soon visitors to the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad will get to admire the zoo’s feathered inmates from close quarters, as the zoo is all set to have a walk-through aviary again.In a month’s time the aviary for water fowls in Hyderabad zoo will be turned into a walk-through aviary, which means visitors can walk inside the aviary and see birds around them.

When contacted, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) PK Jha said “The existing aviary in the zoo was actually meant to be walk-through. However, few years back it was closed. It has been decided to revive and make it ready for walk-through again, most probably within 15-20 days.” The decision was taken in the recently held Zoo Advisory Committee meeting.

More aviaries

It is not just the walk-through aviary but Hyderabad zoo will also renovate the small enclosures where various birds from India and abroad are on display. Jha said that these birds would be housed in a new aviary with enclosures having see-through glass displays.  He said, the new aviary will also have landscaping mimicking natural habitat of the birds, depending on where they belong to.  Apart from this, the zoo has also started studies on developing a brand new aviary for arboreal birds - birds which stay perched atop tree-tops and fly.

The forest official said that studies are being conducted on how the aviary has to be designed. It will also have see-through glass and will be large enough for the birds to fly around in the enclosure.
It also will have to be seen as to which birds species can be housed together in the aviary to avoid any conflicts.  Zoo Curator N Kshitija said “It is necessary to take up such measures for the visitors with the changing times, to keep their interests alive.”