CZA Members: Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park leads conservation in India’s northern Punjab

CZA and Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park (Chhatbir *Zoo*) hosted a Species360 ZIMS training course in 2012. The park records data on over 1,500 animals. (Photo: Species360)

Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park has a long history with Species360, including hosting one of the first animal records training seminars in the region. Now the park is an institutional member, continuing a relationship that began as part of the Central Zoo Authority of India’s previous Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Mahendra Chaudhary park records and shares data on 1,500 animals and hundreds of species, including the lion-tailed macaque, white bengal tiger, Asian elephant, Sambar deer, Bengal fox, gaur (Indian bison), Sarus crane, and painted stork.

Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park manages a collection of 1,500 animals and hundreds of species.

BBC asks, Is this the perfect city? Chandigahr is India’s most prosperous and greenest city – and just 20 km from Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park. (Photo: BBC)

Founded in 1977, Mahendra Chaudhary park is largest zoo in the northern Punjab region of India and is located near the capital Chandigahr. The zoo is a member of CZA and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

“By managing animal welfare and collections in ZIMS, Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park helps to sustain the highest standards in animal records. The data that the institution curates in ZIMS also helps to inform vital global resources used by zoos worldwide,” said Peter Donlon, Director of Global Member Development, Species360.

The park joins other leading CZA member institutions in continuing to record, manage, and share essential data on the welfare and conservation of species. Bannerghatta Biological Park, Nandankanan Zoological Park, and India’s Madras Crocodile Trust and Centre for Herpetology are among those that began participating in Species360 as part of the CZA MOU and have continued as institutional members.

“We are grateful to CZA’s leadership in advancing wildlife conservation throughout India, and we are proud to be a part of their ongoing work,” said Donlon.

Learn more about Species360 members in India.