Nandankanan Zoological Park (India) – Location, Geography, Facts

Nandankanan Zoological Park is a zoological park in India located in the city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Nandankanan Zoological Park, India.

Country: India
Coordinates: 20.4000° N, 85.8147° E

Nandankanan Zoological Park overview

Nandankanan Zoological Park is a zoological park in India located in the city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It functions as an integrated zoological, botanical and sanctuary complex and includes both managed animal enclosures and an associated wildlife sanctuary. The park holds formal status as a zoological institution and maintains on-site veterinary and captive-breeding facilities as part of its scientific and conservation remit.

Nandankanan Zoological Park coordinates

Nandankanan Zoological Park is commonly mapped at approximately 20.4000° N, 85.8147° E, or 20.4000, 85.8147 in decimal degrees.

Degrees: 20.4000° N, 85.8147° E

Decimal: 20.4000, 85.8147

Where Nandankanan Zoological Park is located

The park sits within the municipal area of Bhubaneswar in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, positioned on the city’s green belt. Its landward setting places planted botanical sections and purpose-built enclosures adjacent to tracts of semi-natural woodland that form the sanctuary core. Administratively the complex occupies a parcel of municipal and protected land inside the Bhubaneswar urban region and contributes to the city’s framework of public green spaces.

Why Nandankanan Zoological Park is important

Nandankanan Zoological Park matters for combining a conventional city zoo collection with a formal botanical garden and a contiguous wildlife sanctuary under a single management framework. This integrated structure allows in-situ habitat areas to link directly with ex-situ breeding facilities, supporting population-management work and recovery-oriented husbandry for regional species. The park’s role in maintaining veterinary facilities, scientific records, and organized breeding programs distinguishes its institutional profile from strictly display-focused zoological sites.

History of Nandankanan Zoological Park

The complex developed from an organized initiative to create a managed zoological collection alongside botanical plantings and a protected wildlife area within Bhubaneswar. Over successive phases the park expanded enclosure types and added scientific infrastructure such as dedicated animal hospitals and breeding quarters, while retaining substantial semi-natural habitat for the sanctuary component. Institutional oversight shifted toward an integrated conservation and research remit, shaping the park’s evolution from a city menagerie into a coordinated scientific and habitat-management landscape.

Natural features of Nandankanan Zoological Park

The site integrates built exhibits and natural terrain, featuring landscaped botanical beds, planted avenues, and patches of indigenous woodland that form the sanctuary’s core. Exhibit construction uses reinforced concrete and masonry for durable animal facilities, together with earth berms, dry moats and vegetated barriers that separate visitor routes from managed habitats. Water bodies and planted groves punctuate the grounds and create microhabitats used by both captive species and resident wild fauna within the sanctuary portion of the complex.

Environment, protection, and monitoring of Nandankanan Zoological Park

Management occurs within a governance framework that links municipal and state wildlife responsibilities to on-site scientific staff and animal-care teams. Conservation themes include habitat maintenance, population monitoring in the sanctuary areas, captive-breeding protocols, and veterinary surveillance as persistent management activities. Long-term stewardship emphasizes genetic record-keeping, habitat restoration within the semi-natural zones, and institutional collaborations that sustain research and species-recovery objectives rather than short-term display priorities.

Nandankanan Zoological Park facts

The park originated as a planned zoological and botanical institution established to provide both curated exhibits and a contiguous wildlife sanctuary within Bhubaneswar. It is situated inside the city limits of Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha, forming a significant urban green complex. The name Nandankanan references South Asian garden traditions and highlights the site’s deliberate botanical component. The layout combines enclosed animal exhibits with a designated sanctuary area, creating direct ecological links between managed and semi-natural zones. State wildlife authorities and institutional staff jointly oversee conservation programs and scientific activities at the park.

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