Thiruvananthapuram: The work on the outdoor butterfly park in Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo is fast progressing on a 30-cent area spending Rs 64.21 lakh.
Its foundation stone was laid by K. Raju, museum and zoo minister, in May.
The park is coming up next to the old crocodile enclosure known as the Palm Grove.
This park is part of the modernisation scheme or the master plan envisaged by the Central Zoo Authority.
Currently, 60 per cent of the work is over. Soon, butterflies can flutter in their dedicated space outdoor.
The works started during the Onam season, and authorities were hoping to launch it this fiscal year.
The project modelled on the butterfly aviary at the Singapore Zoo came in the state budget of 2018-19.
According to Abu Sivadas, director of museum and zoo, it will have a walkway, a cascade and a small shallow pond.
"We plan to grow flowering plants and shrubs that can attract different types of butterflies. It will also have larval host plants for them to lay eggs and larvae or caterpillars can feed on. Secondly, nectar plants will be there in large numbers," he said.
The butterfly park is being set up with the support of the Travancore Nature History Society.
Once it completed, there will also be an interpretation centre and information boards which would provide details on the aviary being set up inside the capital city zoo.
The authorities hope it to attract lots of visitors, both young and old, like the Singapore Zoo.
