Arignar Anna Zoological Park, vandalur ,pic 7

Most of the exhibits in the zoo lie along a circular road covering about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi). Smaller mammals and other exhibits are located along three inner roads. The park area is dotted with large open island-type enclosures and chain-link fence, with camouflaged wet and dry moats, hidden walls, and simulated natural environment for the residents of the park.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park, vandalur ,pic 6

Arignar Anna Zoological Park, chennai,pic 5

Safaris

As part of the park's development plan, safari parks for lion, gaur and deer have been created on a hilly terrain covering an area of 70 hectares (170 acres), enabling the visitors to see the animals in their natural habitats.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park, vandalur,pic 4,

The park has 81 enclosures and more than 170 species of mammals, birds and reptiles, such as the barking deer, blackbuck, sambar, sangai, nilgai, wolf, tiger, jaguar, panther, hog deer, jackal, hyena, lion, giraffe, camel, otter, llama, elephant, and a number of monkey species such as Nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque, baboon, Hanuman langur and leaf-capped langur. There are about 46 endangered animals of the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats and the Indian subcontinent such as the Nilgiri macaques, as well as other rare species including monitor lizard, chimpanzees, European brown bear, Muscovy duck, giraffe, Bengal tiger, white tiger, lemur, macaque, vulture, and star tortoises. The park is also home to exotic species such as the Australian flightless bird species of emu and cassowary. The park contains about 138 plant species, including cashew and eucalyptus. The dense vegetation of the park supports about 56 species of butterfly.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park, vandalur, chennai,pic 3

The park is located at Vandalur in the south-western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Tambaram and about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Chennai Airport. The whole of the park and the proposed night safari zone lie within the Vandalur Reserve Forest area located immediately to the southwest of Tambaram Air Force Station. The eastern and western sides of the park are bordered by Hassan and Otteri lakes, respectively. The main entrance of the zoo lies on the eastern side of the Chennai–Trichy Highway (National Highway 45), also known as the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road, near its intersection with the Vandalur–Kelambakkam Road. The lion safari range lies in the north-eastern side of the park, pervading into the reserve forest area, and the rescue and rehabilitation centre and the proposed night safari zone are located at the southern side across the Vandalur–Kelambakkam Road. The Vandalur railway station of the Chennai suburban railway network is located at the north-western side, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the main entrance of the park.