Central Zoo Houses 1,273 Animals Across 112 Species; Oldest Elephant is 76

Lalitpur. The Central Zoo, operated under the National Trust for Nature Conservation, currently houses 1,273 animals belonging to 112 species. The Central Zoo was established and brought into operation in B.S. 1989 by the then Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shamsher Rana as a private entity. Later, the zoo was opened to the general public.

According to the zoo administration, the number of animals fluctuates due to new births, deaths, and rescues from the jungle. Ganesh Koirala, the zoo's information officer, stated that the longest-living animal here is a 76-year-old elephant named 'Pawan Kali'. According to him, the average lifespan of an elephant is between 70 to 80 years.

Koirala informed that among the four tigers at the zoo, the oldest is 'Bagoura' at 15 years old. He added that among the three rhinoceroses, the oldest is 'Bange' at 14 years old, while other animals belong to various age groups.

Animals with shorter lifespans include mice. Information Officer Koirala stated that the average lifespan of a mouse is five to six years. He mentioned that small animals like mice and squirrels are bred at the zoo and fed to the pythons once a week as food.

According to him, since pythons sometimes need to be given natural (test) food, the mice and squirrels produced at the zoo are fed to them. For this reason, there is some fluctuation in the animal population. A system is in place where, upon discovering that any resident animal is sick, they are placed in a separate quarantine facility for treatment by veterinarians.

Although some animals breed, the zoo administration stated that breeding is low because the living environment is not completely suitable for most animals. It is mentioned that the natural jungle environment is more conducive to their reproduction.