CM opens country’s first designer zoo and Asia’s second largest at Puthur

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) inaugurated the Thrissur Zoological Park, India’s first-ever design zoo and Asia’s second largest, built amid the scenic forest landscape of Puthur. Minister for Forests and Wildlife Protection A.K. Saseendran presided over the function.

The new park marks the fulfilment of a long-pending dream — to relocate the century-old Thrissur Zoo from its cramped Chembukkavu premises to a vast, natural setting, said Chief Minister. “It has been made possible through the strong will and determination of the government,” he said.

The project, initiated in 2006 under the V.S. Achuthanandan-led government, was formally transferred to the Forest department during the tenure of Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar in the Oommen Chandy government.

“In 2016, the project gained fresh momentum with the backing of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), along with a clear blueprint and vision for the park,” the Chief Minister noted.

Built at a cost of ₹371 crore — including ₹331 crore from KIIFB and ₹40 crore from the State Plan fund — the park has since received an additional ₹17 crore for further development.

Designed by world-renowned Australian zoo architect Jon Coe, the Thrissur Zoological Park reimagines the concept of a zoo as a sanctuary of coexistence rather than confinement. Created as a “zoo without bars,” it replicates natural habitats from across India, offering both animals and visitors an immersive wilderness experience.

Spread across 338 acres, the park features nine thematic zones and a dedicated conservation area, each representing distinct ecological regions — from the arid landscapes of the Zululand zone to the misty expanses of the Shola grassland zone. “Each zone is a miniature version of its parent ecosystem,” say project officials.

The park will also include a petting zoo and a hologram-based virtual zoo, being developed under a public-private partnership. For visitors, KSRTC mini buses will operate inside the park, while double-decker buses will connect it to the city.

Animals from the existing Thrissur Zoo have already been shifted to the new facility, while efforts are under way to bring in more species from other Indian States and abroad.

Trial run

A limited trial run for selected visitors will be conducted over the next two months, after which the park will be fully opened to the public in January.

Ministers K. Rajan, R. Bindu, K.N. Balagopal, Roshy Augustine and K. Krishnankutty, MPs, MLAs, Mayor and officials attended the function.