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WAZA Welcomes New Member – Indira Gandhi Zoological Park
Posted: 16 February 2022
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is delighted to welcome a new WAZA Institutional member to the global zoo and aquarium community – the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, India.
Based in India, in the Visakhapatnam district, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP), also called Vizag Zoo, is located in an area of 625 acres in Seethakonda Reserve Forest, which is part of the beautiful hills of the Eastern Ghats. Construction of the zoo began in 1972 and was opened to the public in 1977. The zoo is home to more than 840 animals from 85 species and also welcomes many free ranging animals from the surrounding forest.
Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is committed to conservation and sustainability, and has a long-term vision for ex situ conservation. The Zoo primarily focuses its conservation efforts on the ex situ conservation of critically endangered fauna endemic to the Eastern Ghats, including wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. IGZP is recognised by Central Zoo Authority, India as the “Coordinating zoo for the conservation breeding of Asiatic Wild Dogs” in India, and the breeding programme has been very successful.
Another of the zoo’s core objectives is conservation education, as such it has created an environmental education centre called the Bioscope. This knowledge centre is composed of several educational programmes which provides a truly informative and educational experience for thousands of zoos visitors every year.
“I am pleased to see our global community growing in the Asiatic region. With the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park joining WAZA, it brings the number of WAZA member zoos in India to 10.” said Dr Martín Zordan, Chief Executive Officer of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). “By welcoming the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, we recognise their dedicated work to animal welfare, conservation and conservation education.”
“We feel privileged and honoured to become an institutional member of WAZA and even more committed to work towards the cause of ex situ conservation with a more scientific approach in animal welfare, conservation breeding, conservation education and research,” said Dr Nandani Salaria, Curator at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park.
The IGZP’s vision is to become a national leader in saving wildlife by fighting species extinction. The aim is to ensure the future of next generations where human values are protected, and biodiversity is preserved
Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is a member of the Central Zoo Authority, India.
To learn more about the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, visit the website at: vizagzoo.com
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.
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