Thiruvananthapuram's 167-year-Old Zoo Caught in Relocation Debate

In the middle of Keralam's capital, where traffic and concrete have steadily closed in around it, a vast stretch of green has survived for more than a century and a half. 

It is home to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, an institution that began functioning in 1859 and has since become woven into the history and memory of the city. Now, that familiar landscape is at the centre of a new debate, as the Congress-led UDF government moves towards shifting the zoo to the forest-fringe area of Neyyar.

The



proposal has raised a larger question --What will the city lose if a part of its history is moved away? Former Thiruvananthapuram mayor and CPI(M) leader V K Prasanth has opposed the move. 

He has now renewed his campaign against the relocation, calling the zoo the "Emerald island" of the capital and urging people to protect what he describes as its unique heritage. Chief Minister V D Satheesan recently suggested moving the zoo to Neyyar or another forest area, saying wild animals should be kept closer to their natural habitat.