Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park was on our Darjeeling sightseeing list. We started on a taxi from Gangtok covering about 90 odd kilometers distance in about two & a half hours drive.
The drive was all about watching beautiful landscapes all along and re-visiting our long list of the places to visit in Darjeeling.
Checking into the hotel by noon near Char Rasta, Mayfair Darjeeling, the closest tourist places to visit happened to be the Himalayan Zoological Park & the Mountaineering Institute both on the same campus. A mere half a kilometer was absolutely walkable in the pleasant weather of the hill station. So that is where we headed first in this popular hill town.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling
This park popularly called Darjeeling Zoo is spread over 60-plus acres. It is the largest and highest zoo situated at an elevation of 7000 ft above sea level. It not only houses diverse wildlife of the Himalayas but also has a captive breeding program for endangered species like Red Panda, Snow Leopard & Wolf. There is a nominal entry fee. It is open to the public from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed on Thursdays. It is on Jawahar Parvat hill. The specialty of the zoo is it houses high-altitude animals. The zoo area also has original flora & fauna of the region, which is now difficult to find in the rest of the city. You can spend about an hour watching this wildlife unique to the high-altitude region.
Take another hour for the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute visit. It has a museum about the various accessories the early Mountaineers used, the Himalayan range, etc. That’s a story for another day.
For now, walk with me and say Hello to these inhabitants of the zoo.
Red Panda
The Red Pandas are most popular among the visitors of this zoo. Unfortunately, they are an endangered species. Also called Lesser panda and red bear-cat they are native to the eastern Himalayas. Larger than a domestic cat, Red pandas are reportedly solitary animals. They are mainly active from dusk to dawn. We stood there for some time and watched them play and eat. Red Panda is the state animal of Sikkim. There are many Red Pandas in the zoo. Naturally, the playful Pandas are the main attraction of the zoo.
Snow Leopard at Himalayan Zoological Park
The Snow Leopards as their name indicates are high-altitude Leopards. They are noted for their thick ringed coat & long tail. They are the state animal of Himachal Pradesh.
Black Leopard
The black leopard, obvious in color, stands out in its images that highlight its light green colored eyes distinctly. It inhabits the densely forested areas of northeast India.
Goral
The Gorals are distinguished by their sharp, short horns that curve posteriorly. Found in the forests of the Himalayas, they are agile and are active in the early morning and late evening.
Tahr at Himalayan Zoological Park
A wild goat with a finely formed head, narrow erect ears, a heavy body & long robust limbs Tahr is a sight to watch. It is a native of rugged wooded hills and mountain slopes of the Himalayas.
Markhor
The Markhor is found in the mountains of central Asia, scattered throughout northern India. Markhor too is an endangered animal.
Blue Sheep at Himalayan Zoological Park
The Blue Sheep locally called Bharals feed & rest on the grassy mountain slopes. The coat is slate gray in color, sometimes with a bluish sheen. They are found in the high Himalayas.
Barking Deer
The Barking Deer is the oldest known deer. It is called so for the short barking call it gives when annoyed or alarmed. Antlers are present only in males.
Yak
Wild Yaks are among the largest bovids. Males may weigh up to a ton. Found in northern Ladakh. Both males & females have horns.
Himalayan Wolf
These Wolfs are bred at the Zoological Park in captivity. They are found in Ladakh & Spiti.
Bengal Tiger
Finally, the zoo also has a Bengal Tiger. Known as Royal Bengal Tiger, it is the national animal of India. Interestingly, we saw this tiger eating grass – looked like a case of a vegetarian tiger.
The Zoo also has several birds both inside the cages and on the trees outside. Many of them exotic northeastern natives.
If you are visiting Darjeeling, recommend you spend an hour in the zoo. Get a chance to view the rare wildlife of the Himalayas. Other zoos in India do not have this wildlife due to the climatic conditions they require. Hence do not miss an opportunity to visit the zoo while you are visiting the place. The only other zoo that has similar wildlife that I know of is the one near Gangtok, Sikkim.
Refer to their website for updates and further information.
Recommend you to read the following blog posts on places to visit in Bengal.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – A Living Dream
Kolkata – Colonial Calcutta Heritage Walk
Wow! So many rarely seen animals! I thoroughly enjoyed this post.
I am beginning to question if zoos are ethical, just hope this one was clean and well maintained! I do go to them, but just wondering if the animals are well taken care off and whether they should be in an enclosure and not in the wild.
So happy you enjoyed the post, Chaitali.
I have stopped questioning the fashionable questions. People who question would sit and eat the same animals for dinner. Zoos are legal and run by the authorities.
Yes, the zoo was clean as far as I could see.
It is a lovely zoo. We visited a couple of years ago and absolutely loved the experience. So nice to see these photos. Now I have to go look at my own albums and relive the experience!
Yes Vidya, it is lovely. I particularly liked it because it has animals that we do not see in plains. It is relatively better maintained and managed too.
This is really amazing to know about such rare species of animals. The article is very informative. I do want to visit the place some time.
Thanks, Mousumi. If you want to go there, the purpose of this post is achieved.
This is really amazing to know about such rare species of animals. This is really informative. I want to visit the place some time.
The child in me got super excited seeing these pics. 🙂 Exotic ones most of them.
I am reminded of my visit to zoo in Kufri!
Yes, that’s why I decided to put them in a post – all of them are exotic for the people of plains. Did not know there is a zoo in Kufri too…will check out next time I am there.
Thanks for writing such a good article, I like your style of writing and knowledge.
Thanks Rohit. Wish you all the best for your blog.
E bello quello che avete come si può venire a vivere dalle vostre parti?
Un saluto
Alessandro
Not sure what you say, but thank you for stopping by.
interesting information thanks