Zoo gets 465 high-end cameras to monitor animals’ well-being
NEW DELHI: The Delhi zoo has got 465 new high-end surveillance cameras covering its entire premises, officials said on Tuesday, adding that the CCTVs will help observe animals’ behaviour, besides monitoring their well-being.
“These are high-definition cameras that have a 20X zoom and can rotate 360 degrees. A full-fledged control room has been set up within the premises for round-the-clock monitoring,” a statement by the zoo authorities said.
So far the National Zoological Park had a few surveillance cameras installed only at critical points that did not cover the entire premises.
“The cameras will now cover all the cages, pathways, visitors areas and even the wooded area, which will help ensure security and better monitoring of the health of the animals”, said a senior official, who asked not to be named.
“Round the clock monitoring of animal’s health is crucial. Though zookeepers keep a watch 24x7, the cameras will give us insights into their behaviour for a prolonged period and help us identify things that can bettered for their well-being. If an animal is sick or is in a reproductive stage, it will be an added advantage to monitor their movement and make arrangements for what it needs accordingly,” the official said.
Zoo officials said the monitoring control room was opened on Thursday. Soumitra Dasgupta, additional director general of forests (wildlife) of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, was the chief guest for the event.
The Delhi zoo, located near the Old Fort, is spread over an area of 176 acres, and presently houses 94 species and 1,162 animals.
Zoo authorities also said they are aiming to increase the number of species by bringing in more animals under a host of exchange programmes.
The Delhi zoo was reopened to the public on August 1 this year. It reopened in two shifts, and the administration will initially allow around 3,000 visitors a day, split evenly between each shift. In the first shift, the zoo will be open from 8am to 12pm. It will then be shut for an hour for sanitisation and disinfection, and will reopen again from 1pm to 5pm. The zoo will stay shut on Fridays.
To ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour, the zoo administration has stopped the in-person sale of tickets, and users must book tickets online 24 hours in advance on the website, or scan QR codes installed at the zoo entrances.
Zoo authorities have also urged visitors to adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour to prevent an outbreak of infections.
The zoo was shut for visitors on March 18 last year, a week before the nationwide lockdown that lasted 68 days was imposed. This was followed by an avian flu outbreak in January this year. The zoo finally reopened on April 1 this year, only to be closed two weeks later, as the fourth wave of Covid-19 spread in the Capital.