Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started ‘bicycle on rent service’ at Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park at Katraj. The civic body is currently providing battery operated van service to visitors. Now, visitors can also avail the facility of bicycles at zoo. Under the bicycle sharing plan, a private company has provided 50 bicycles so far.
Director of Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park Dr Rajkumar Jadhav said, “Corporation has developed roads in the zoo and people can use a bicycle as it is environment friendly. There is a total 1.5 km of stretch in the park where visitors can use a bicycle. At present, we are providing a battery operated van service to visitors. There are six vans. Out of that, five vans are 14 seaters and one is 10 seater.”
He further said, “Now, visitors will get an additional backup of bicycles. Company has fixed charge of Rs 10 per hour and after that they will charge Rs 5 per hour. We have made separate arrangement for a cycle stand in zoo.”
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator from Katraj area Vasant More, who was pursuing the idea of the bicycle in the zoo, said, “Pune Commissioner Saurabh Rao had given the approval to introduce bicycle service in the park. However, due to the Model Code of Conduct, it was not implemented in summer season which is considered as peak period of the park.”
The zoo is spread over 130 acres of land and is divided into 3 parts: an animal orphanage, a snake park, and zoo apart from 42 acre lake. It gets financial aid from the Central Zoo Authority.
The planning mainly aims at giving the 16 types of animals a natural habitat in an enclosed area. Indigenous natural enclosures have been created for tigers, monkeys, sambar, bears and other animals.
The white tiger, leopard, an assortment of wild cats, sloth bear, sambhars, barking deer, black bucks, crocodiles and the Indian tortoise are among them. At least 2,500 to 3,000 people visit the zoo daily. This number goes up to 10,000-15,000 on weekends and holidays.
The zoo is the member of ISIS (International Species Information System). It is a non-profit organisation. It gives standard zoological data collection and sharing software to more than 800 member zoos, aquariums and related organisation in almost 80 countries.