Animal lovers in West Bengal will now be able to watch animals and birds from the comfort of their homes with the West Bengal Forest Department starting live streaming of animals from Alipore Zoological Garden, Kolkata, and Padmja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling.

The live steaming facilities were inaugurated by State’s Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee on Sunday at Alipore Zoological Garden.

“This is a unique initiative. Every year about 35 lakh people visit Alipore zoo. Many of these visitors are regulars and they make it a point to visit the zoo at least once a year. We do not want to deprive these people, including children, anymore,” Mr. Banerjee said.

The Minister said that live streaming will be available for an hour each in the morning and the afternoon from social media handles of the respective zoos.

Ashis Kumar Samanta, Director of Alipore Zoological Garden, said closed-circuit cameras have been installed in different enclosures of the animals.

‘Zoo on mobile phones’

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) Director Dharamdeo Rai said that visitors can now enjoy a visit to the high-altitude zoo on their mobile phones.

“PNHZP will be live on social media every day from 9 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. with a tour of the zoo. Visitors can enjoy the visit to the zoo and the scenic beauty of Darjeeling on their mobiles” Mr. Rai said.

Both the zoological gardens were closed in March due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Opened in 1876, Alipore Zoological Garden houses around 1,100 wild animals, along with an aviary and a snake enclosure.

Set up in 1958, the PNHZP is one of the high-altitude zoos in the country which houses species like snow leopard and red panda.