Alipore Zoo (Kolkata Chiriakhana)
Alipore Zoological Garden usually called as Alipore Zoo (Alipur Zoo) or Kolkata Zoo was established on 1875. It was opened for people from 6th May in 1876. Locally it is called as Alipur Chiriakhana or Kolkata Chiriakhana in West Bengal. This garden covers approximately an area of 20.4 hectare (50.4 acre).
The first Superintendent of the Zoological Garden of Alipur, Rai Bahadur Ram Brahma Sanyal had played an important role to develop it. Today, it is the main tourist attraction in Kolkata.
Attractions in Alipore Zoo
Alipur Chiriakhana (Chiria means – Animal and Khana means – down place) is the one of the most popular winter tourist attractions not only in Kolkata but also in India. You will found here a large number of crowd-pulling large animals like the Royal Bengal Tiger, African Lion, Jaguar, Hippopotamus, One-horned Rhinoceros, Reticulated Giraffe, Grant's Zebra, Dromedary Camel and Elephant. Some attractive Kangaroo has taken recently from Australia.
There have a collection of attractive rare species birds like, large parrots including Macaw species, Conures species, Lorie’s species and lorikeets species; Touracos and Hornbills; the Golden Pheasant, Lady Amherst's Pheasant and Swinhoe's Pheasant and some large flightless birds like the Emu, Cassowary and Ostrich.
Basic Information of Alipur Zoo or Kolkata Chiriakhana
| Country | India |
| State | West Bengal |
| City | Alipore (near Kolkata) |
| District | South 24 Parganas |
| Address | Kolkata Zoo (Alipore Chiriakhana) 2 No. Alipore Road, Kolkata 700 027 West Bengal, India Phone: (+91) 33-2479-1150 (+91) 33-2439-9391 Fax: (+91) 33-2479-1585 Email: director@kolkatazoo.in Link: www.kolkatazoo.in |
| STD Code | 033 |
| Road Route | Nearest Airport - Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (locally called as Dumdum Airport). Nearest Ralway Station - New Alipur or Majherhat Railway station on Budge Budge railway zone. Metro Ralway Station - Jatin Das Park Railway Station. You can hire a taxi or travel by bus to reach Alipore zoo from these stations. |
| Best time to visit | Any Time but Winter Season is best. |
| Clothing | Summer Season - Light Cottan Winter Season - Light Woolen |
| Fooding | Rice (Vaat), Dal, Fish - Hilsa, Katla, Misti (sweets) - Rasogolla, Sondesh, Laddu and many more. |
| Language | Bengali (main language), Hindi and English. |
| Climate | Summer Season - vary from 25°C to 45°C Winter Season - Minimum temperature 10°C |
| Nearrby Tour Spots | Victoria Memorial Hall, Fort William, Eden Gardens Stadium, Birla Planetarium, National Library, Howrah Bridge, Marble Palace, Nicco Park, Saheed Minar, Botanical Gardens, Science City and Indian Museum (Kolkata Jadu Ghar) |
| Restrictions | You are not allowed in zoo with any type of polythene bag, plastic bottle, foods, audio-system or musical instrument, any pet animals and firearms or any sharp objects. You should maintained a save distance from any type of wild animals. |
| Geographical Characteristics | Kolkata Chiriakhana situated in plain land, which is under the Kolkata metropolitan area. |
| Police Station | Lal Bazar Police Station 42, C.R Avenue, Kolkata-700069 Phone: (+91) 33-2214-3230 |
| Open Days | Every Day except Thursday. If any holiday falls on Thursday, then the Chiriakhana remain opens and the next working day observed as the weekly closure. |
| Visiting Hours | Ticket counters - 09:00 am to 04:30 pm Chiriakhanacounters - 09:00 am to 05:00 pm Aquarium of the zoo - 10:30 am to 05:00 pm |
| Entry Fees | Zoological Garden Ticket -  20 per head (Above 5 years of age)Aquarium Ticket - 5 per head (Above 5 years of age)Video Photography - 250 (per hour) |
| Hospital | Calcutta Medical College & Hospital 88, College Street Calcutta-700 073 Phone: (+91) 33-2241-4901 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee () |
| Tourist Enquiry | Tourism Centre (Kolkata) 3/2, B.B.D. Bag (East) Kolkata - 700 001 Phone: (+91) 33-2243-6440 (+91) 33-2248-8271 Fax Number: (+91) 33-2248-5168 E-mail : tourismcentrekolkata@gmail.com |
Animals Kolkata Chiriakhana
Kolkata Chiriakhana is enrich with a large verities of animals. It is the residence of 1266 wildlife, which are belongs into 108 different species of animal kind. Kolkata Chiriakhana is also a winter destination for many migratory birds.
| Mammals | ||
|---|---|---|
| African lion | Gaur | Lion-tailed macaque |
| Asian elephant | Giant squirrel | Nilgai |
| Asiatic lion | Golden jackal | Red kangaroo |
| Assamese macaque | Grant's zebra | Reticulated giraffe |
| Axis deer | Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros | Rhesus macaque |
| Banteng | Hanuman langur | Royal Bengal tiger |
| Blackbuck | Himalayan black bear | Sambar deer |
| Bonnet macaque | Hippopotamus | Sloth bear |
| Brow-antlered deer | Hog deer | Striped hyena |
| Brush-tailed porcupine | Indian muntjac | Swamp deer |
| Dromedary camel | Jaguar | White tiger |
| Fallow deer | Jungle cat | Wild boar |
| Fishing cat | Leopard | Lion-tailed macaque |
| African lion | Gaur | Nilgai |
Hotels, Lodging and Restaurants
You will get some suitable Hotels, accommodations and restaurants around Alipur Zoological Garden. Some major of these are given bellow.
| Hotel Taj Bengal 34B, Belvedere Road, Kolkata Phone: (+91) 33-2223-3939 |
Hotel Hindusthan International 235/1, AJC Bose Road, Kolkata Phone: (+91) 33-2280-2323 (+91) 33-2283-0505 |
| The Peerless Inn 12, Jawahar Lal Nehru Road, Kolkata Phone: (+91) 33-4400-3900 (+91) 33-2228-0301 |
The Park Hotel 17, Park Street, Kolkata Phone: (+91) 33-2249-9000 |
| Chrome Hotel 226, AJC Bose Road, Kolkata Phone: (+91) 33-3096-3096 (+91) 33-2289-4433 |