Master Planning of Zoos - Central Zoo Authority

Proceedings of
Training Programme
Master Planning
of Zoos
Animal that lives in the ground which may be permanent or temporary
(burrowing or digging) e.g. fox, Indian pangolin, burrowing snakes etc.
Animal that lives mostly in water or sometimes needing access to water
(swimming, diving etc.) e.g. dolphin, otter, crocodile, tiger, water fowl etc.
While designing the zoo animal enclosure priority has to be given to:
• Physical capabilities/activities (Like jumping, climbing, burrowing, swimming
etc) of the species
• Climatic factors of the locality
• Biological factors and social requirements of the animals under display
• The enclosure should effectively confine the animals to prevent escape
• Must prevent interaction between visitors and animals specially dangerous
ones. This will also prevent transmission of zoonotic diseases from visitors to
zoo animals and vice versa
• Must ensure safe conduct and easy day–to-day management of animals therein.
• Must facilitate easy viewing of animals for monitoring, capturing, crating,
shifting or treatment.
• Should facilitate easy viewing by visitors for better appreciation of animals
and to lesson the incidence of vandalism by visitors
• Must avoid display of prey – predator animals in adjacent enclosures as that
induces constant stress resulting in health problems among prey animals
• If moats (dry or wet) are designed to confine the animals, provision has to be
made to allow the animals into it or out of it as otherwise the animals specially
the young ones may fall into the moat and are likely to sustain injury or get
drowned or face difficulty to get out of the moat.
• Nocturnal animals has to be exhibited in nocturnal house only to avoid stress
related health problems.
• Reptile enclosures should have special provision for protecting them from
extreme heat and cold as they are exothermic animals (sensitive to extreme
fluctuations in atmospheric temperature) affecting their heath and mortality.
• Good drainage system to flush out the excreta, food refuses, other debris and
rain water is a must.
• Visitors should not be allowed to see the animals from all sides of the enclosure
as animals also need privacy and undisturbed atmosphere.
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