The zoo was inaugurated on 13 April 1977 by the then governor of Punjab Mahendra Mohan Choudhury and it was christened as Mahendra Chaudhury Zoological Park. Initially the zoo was populated by a small number of animals brought from Guwahati Zoo, Assam and it soon became the largest zoo in Northern punjab India
Chattbir Zoo History
The first proposal to establish a Zoological Park at Chhatbir was mooted in the year 1973. The State Government then decided to constitute committees at various levels so as to secure the co-operation, assistance, expert advice and provide co-ordination which were vital for the establishment of such an important project. A state level advisory council headed by Shri M. M. Chaudhary, the then Hon’ble Governor of Punjab was formed on 7th January, 1974 to evolve policies, broad strategies and decide about the overall plan of this Zoological Park. A list of members of this committee is enclosed as Annexure 1.
A second important committee of experts under the chairmanship of Sh.G.P.S Sahi was constituted by the Government in November 1974 which included specialists and experts in zoo management, wildlife and forestry. This committee was entrusted with the responsibility of providing expert opinion on the technical aspect of animal management, zoo establishment and planning. A list of the members of this committee is enclosed as Annexure2.
For co-operation between various departments associated with the establishment of Zoological Park, an implementation committee was also constituted in January, 1974 under the Chairmanship of Development Commissioner, Punjab. This committee was meant to review the progress of works, discuss problems and bottle-necks encountered in the execution of this project, co-ordinate activities for speedy implementation of decisions and to approach the government for solving various problems and difficulties. This committee comprised the members as shown in Annexure 3.
Apart from the above committees, another committee as shown in Annexure 4 was also constituted to provide expert opinion on specific subjects such as landscaping and other technical matters.
After the initial planning and finalization of zoo site, the first and foremost necessity felt was that of preparing a Conceptual Plan for a planned and systematic development of the zoo and to rule out the common shortfalls that were encountered while establishing other zoos in India. Consequently, a technical Committee consisting of the following members was set up for the preparation of Conceptual Plan:
1. Shri C.M. Sethi, I.F.S. Chief Conservator of Forests, Punjab, Chandigarh.
2. Shri N.S. Lamba, Chief Town Planner, Punjab, Chandigarh.
3. Shri Jeet Malhotra, Senior Architect O/o Chief Architect, Punjab.
4. Shri N.D. Bachkheti, Administrator, Lucknow and Kanpur Zoos, Lucknow.
5. Shri Pushap Kumar, Director, Nehru Zoological Garden, Hyderabad.
6. Shri S.K. Kapur, O.S.D.
These members assisted by Shri D.K. Behal, Architect, conceived the final plan on 29th September 1975. This plan was then finally approved by the Apex Committee presided over by His Excellency the Governor of Punjab on 27th
November 1975. It was felt that this plan will work as a guide for the execution of all details in future or of any expansion in a particular pocket which may be planned at some later date. This conceptual plan was to enable the zoo experts and the architects at that time to detail out any particular pocket with some margin of flexibility according to the prevailing conditions and the configuration of the ground, yet fitting into the overall Master Layout Plan that was part of that conceptual plan.
Chattbir has India’s longest walk-in aviary with 300m long walk showcases 32 species of indigenous and exotic birds. The section is made in five different themes included Terrestrial, Rock & Duck, Woodland, Japanese Trail and Rainforest.
Chhatbir Zoo Location
Lying on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur-Patiala route, this zoo is located about 20 km away from Chandigarh.
Chhattbir Zoo Entry fees
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