Nehru Zoo Park struggles to earn revenue even after lifting of lockdown

Hyderabad: The Nehru Zoological Park continues to struggle in terms of daily revenue as the visitor count has reduced drastically since the eruption of the Covid19 pandemic. It's almost two months since the government lifted the lockdown, yet people are hesitant to visit the Zoo, fearing the C-infection.

“The zoo had around 25 to 28 lakh visitors a year before the pandemic’s start. After a drastic dip in the visitor footfalls, things got better after the lockdowns were lifted, but very soon people again stopped visiting the zoo,” said the zoo PRO.

The zoo consists of around 200 species and 2,000 specimens including nine animals who got infected by coronavirus but recovered soon. The entire zoo staff was vaccinated, the PRO said and assured the people it is safe to visit the place.

However, there are rules that must be followed by the visitors, like maintaining social distance, wearing masks, placing their foot in the disinfectant liquid at the entrance of the zoo and going through thermal screening.

The number of battery-run vehicles in the zoo has been reduced to 50 per cent, keeping in mind the safety of the people. The in-house reptile, the National History and fossil Museum, the nocturnal animal house and aquariums have been shut since the pandemic erupted as they gather a lot of people. Else, this might have increased the chances of the transmission of the virus,” said the PRO.