Central Zoo Of Nepal

About The Central Zoo

Established basically as the private zoo by late Prime Minister Juddha Sumsher J.B. Rana in 1932, The Central Zoo is the only zoo in Nepal. The Government of Nepal finally opened the zoo to the public in 1956. The Zoo remained under the management of various Departments of the Government for various years. It was only when the zoo was managed meeting the standards when it was handed over to The National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in December 1995. The Trust has developed plans and policies to maintain the zoo and improve the living conditions of animals.

The Trust is an autonomous, non-profit making organization, established in 1982 by Legislative Act to work in the field of biodiversity with the people's participation. NTNC aims to develop the Central Zoo as a center for wildlife research and conservation education. NTNC has developed a master plan for the Central Zoo which has already received the endorsement of both the government and the Central Zoo Management and Development Committee. The Major thrust of the master plan is on three components physical improvement, animal collection and management and conservation education.

The Central Zoo covers an area of six hectares. It houses more than 900 animals of 123 different species. Among these 31 are mammals, 63 are birds, 9 are reptiles and 20 are fishes. The Central Zoo has 14 of the 38 endangered animals of Nepal. The Zoo is open six days a week and remains closed on Monday. This has been done to give the animals a rest and to allow the zoo staff to make improvements on enclosures that cannot be done when visitors are around.