National Zoological Park
- Formerly:
- Delhi Zoo
News •
National Zoological Park, zoo inaugurated in 1959 in New Delhi. Its facilities are funded and administered by the Indian government. The 188.62-acre (76.33-hectare) zoo once exhibited and bred specimens representing at least 250 species, although that number had fallen to fewer than 100 by 2024. The zoo was known as the Delhi Zoo until 1982, when it was named as a national model for other Indian zoos and renamed.
Wildlife
The zoo houses several species protected under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, including:
- Lion
- Blackbuck and albino blackbuck
- Indian rhinoceros (greater one-horned rhinoceros)
- Asiatic elephant
- Indian bison (gaur)
Other mammalian species, such as the hippopotamus, four-horned antelope (chousingha), porcupine, gray langur, hamadryas baboon, and sambar, are also part of the zoo’s collection. The zoo exhibits specimens of various species of reptiles, including the Indian rock python, marsh crocodile, monitor lizard, and gharial. Many of the animals are displayed in barless, moated enclosures, while a colony of lion-tailed macaques is allowed to move freely about the premises. The zoo’s aviary showcases several species of birds, such as the macaw, Egyptian vulture, and silver pheasant.
Free-ranging wildlife (unrestricted wildlife) spotted in the zoo includes reptiles, such as common kraits and cobras; mammals, such as bats and mongooses; and a wide variety of birds, such as painted storks, pintail ducks, night herons, and red-wattled lapwings.
Over the years the zoo has fostered the breeding of several species, such as the sangai deer, Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, Asiatic lion, chimpanzee, African rhinoceros, and Japanese brown bear.
Plants
The zoo is also home to a diverse array of flora, which include trees such as the baobab, banyan, teak, sissoo, white sapote, Indian willow, and silver oak.
Monuments
Besides wildlife and plants, the National Zoological Park also accommodates the Kos Minar (“Kos Pillar”) and the ruins of Azimganj Serai (“Azimganj Inn”), both examples of Mughal architecture. The zoo offers a view of the Purana Qila (“Old Fort”), which was built by emperor Sher Shah of Sur, the founder of the Sur dynasty (c. 1540–56) in India. Both the Kos Minar and the Purana Qila are centrally protected monuments (any historical monument recognized as nationally important by India’s Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains [Declaration of National Importance] Act [1951] or by section 126 of the States Reorganisation Act [1956]).
Tragedy at the tiger enclosure
In September 2014 a visitor named Maqsood Khan fell into the enclosure of a white tiger named Vijay and was mauled to death by the animal. According to reports, guards and onlookers had allegedly attempted to prevent the tragedy by distracting the tiger but were unsuccessful. The incident raised questions about the zoo’s safety measures. A plea for 50 lakh rupees (more than $57,000 in 2025 dollars) in compensation was filed by Maqsood Khan’s wife, Fatima. In 2016 the Delhi High Court ordered the zoo to pay 6 lakh rupees (approximately $6,900 in 2025 dollars) to Maqsood Khan’s family. Vijay was placed under observation for some days after the tragedy. In 2015 five cubs (of which four survived) were born to Vijay and Kalpana, a female white tiger. The birth of the cubs was a result of the zoo’s breeding program.