KATHMANDU, JANUARY 11

Following the increasing number of coronavirus cases in recent days, people visiting the Central Zoo at Jwalakhel have to mandatorily follow health safety protocols issued by the government.

Zoo Information Officer Leena Chalise said it had been made mandatory to follow health safety protocols as risk of coronavirus was high.

Visitors have to wear mask and carry sanitiser compulsorily, they are not allowed to sit and eat on the premises of the zoo and they also cannot feed animals.

Additional health safety protocols will have to be followed if coronavirus cases increase in the coming days.

The zoo will be open from 10:00am to 5:00pm every day as usual and health safety protocols will have to be followed.

The central zoo presently houses 1,068 animals of 110 species: 33 species of reptiles, eight amphibian species and 17 species of Pisces.

Among them, tiger, beer, leopard and red panda are major attractions of the zoo.

The zoo has protected and featured 15, out of 38, rare wildlife of Nepal.

It charges Rs 1,000 each as entry fee for foreigners, Rs 500 each from the visitors of SAARC nations, Rs 200 for a Nepali citizen, Rs 135 for a student and Rs 90 for an aged citizen.

The zoo was established in 1932 as the private property of then Rana prime minister Judhha Shumser Jung Bahadur Rana, and it was open for the public in 1956. National Trust for Nature Conservation was entrusted with its management for 30 years by the government in 1995.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.