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Creature comforts

Photos Arun Kunjunny

Focussing on wildlife Some of the photographs of the animals in the city zoo that have been included in the ‘Zoom-in-zoo’ exhibition, which will be inaugurated today

The animals in our zoo may fascinate us but how well do we know them? Where are their natural habitats? Were they bred in captivity? What do they like to eat? When did they come here to the zoo? What are their names? The list is endless.

Hoping to involve the public into the lives of these animals are a group of friends and young professionals who call themselves the ‘Zoo Protectors.’ They are led by freelance photographer Arun Kunjunny and management professional Ajay Prasad. Their mission is to re-brand the 142-year-old city zoo not just as a premium tourist destination but also to promote it as a centre of wildlife education and conservation on the lines of the world famous zoos at Singapore and San Diego.

“The zoo has so much educational potential. One of the oldest public zoos in India, it was established in 1857 by Uthram Tirunal, the ruler of erstwhile Travancore. It is also one of the few zoos in India that is located in the centre of a city. Its strength lies in its rich collection of fauna as well as flora, which is indigenous to the Western ghats, especially small mammals such as the lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri tahr,” says Arun.

According to guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority – the regulatory body for zoos in India – every zoo has to balance entertainment with education and conservation. When people, particularly children, visit a zoo they are all geared up to learn about the animals and the environment is conducive enough to make them retain much of that information.

“The problem is that the zoo here functions as any other Government Department. Ideally, it should have been a part of the tourism department. Moreover, the zoo could do with informative sign boards, basic facilities for visitors such as a kiosk for water, transport for the aged and so on. Tactile learning experiences such as hands-on interaction with animals (like the popular breakfast with the Orang-Utan that is a major attraction at the Singapore zoo) could make it an attractive learning centre as well.

“Although the zoo has improved vastly over the last few years, we aim to take it to the next level and maximise the educational potential of the zoo,” says Ajay adding that they have a “master plan” to re-brand the zoo to “create a positive environment for animals as well as for learning.”

Phase one of the Zoo Protectors’ plan starts today with ‘Zoom-in-zoo,’ an exhibition of 40 photographs of some of the animals in the zoo.

“I’ve tried to capture the emotions that make each animal individualistic, so that people can form an instant connection with them,” says Arun who gave up his job at the stock photography firm Alamy, to take up wildlife photography.

“Since it is a sincere attempt to upgrade the zoo, we are giving it all the help we can. Arun has been observing and clicking the animals for quite some time now. I am eagerly waiting to see how the plan evolves as this group has ambitious plans for the zoo that could change its profile completely. The zoo is an ideal place for children to learn about the basic lessons in wildlife and conservation,” says the Zoo Director P. Vijayakumari Amma.

Another initiative, perhaps the first of its kind in India, is that the ‘Zoo Protectors’ will be introducing 10 mascots for the zoo. Created by graphic artists Roshan, Kishore Mohan and Sinu Chandrasenan, the mascots include a grumpy rhino, an elegant ostrich, a grandfatherly Himalayan vulture, a king cobra and a bear. Making up the rest of the cartoon menagerie are a lion, a tiger, an alligator and a stork.

“Within the next six months these mascots will be used as zoo ambassadors to reach out to the people. We’ve also drawn up a plan to make the zoo a premium destination, by utilising the resources of local businesses and volunteers. And perhaps down the road we hope to create a merchandising line centred around the mascots,” say Kishore and Arun.

‘Zoom-in-zoo’ exhibition is on till Sunday at the Museum auditorium from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the group can be contacted at zooprotectors@gmail.com.

A grumpy rhino, an elegant ostrich, a grandfatherly Himalayan vulture, a king cobra, a bear, a lion, a tiger, an alligator and a stork are coming to the zoo as its mascots. Created by graphic artists Roshan, Kishore Mohan and Sinu Chandrasenan of the ‘Zoo Protectors,’ the 10 animated characters will soon be used out teach important lessons in wildlife education and conservation to the multitude of visitors to the zoo. “For instance, the grumpy rhino is modelled on Ramu, a temperamental rhinoceros that used to live in the zoo. He was known for his bad temper, having gored his mate and a keeper too. We will be using him to promote zoo etiquette– no teasing, no littering and the likes,” says Kishore. “In the long run we hope to introduce these 10 as toys with the help of a soft toy company and generate merchandising revenue for the zoo,” he adds.

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