A Visit to the Zoo

Animals are part and parcel of environment when they live in their wild state. But man has obtained mastery over all of them. He has domesticated some of them. He has trained some of them for circus purpose and he keeps some others of them in cages for his amusement. Thus man must be grateful to animals for more than one reason.

When one visits Delhi and has got some spare time, one cannot help visiting the zoo - The Zoological Park as it is called. This is what happened with me when I visited Delhi during the last summer vacation. My uncle who lives at Delhi, took me to the zoo one Sunday. The zoo is situated on the Mathura Road, adjacent to the PuranaQuila. The zoo at Delhi is one of the biggest in India. It spreads over many acres of land and inhabits a vast variety of birds and animals. They are kept in their natural habitat as far as possible.

My uncle bought two tickets at the gate and we went in. The first creatures we saw were the swans swimming in pools of crystal clear water. We learnt their strange swimming habits and were amused. Next we saw a piece of land surrounded by ditches full of water. Some birds were swimming and diving in the ditches. But some others were sitting in the branches of the trees growing on the mass land. We were told that they were migratory birds and visited India every year during the summer. Hopping colourful sparrows kept in cages were very amusing. No less amusing was the high-necked os-trich, the largest bird in the world.

To the children, the maximum entertainment was provided by the monkeys. The children teased them and they jumped here and there. But they readily accepted parched grams from the visitors. Animals like Zebras, rhinoceroses, wild boars, wolves and foxes were also a source of amusement. I, however, liked the chimpanzee and the white lions in particular. Some people found favour with animals like crocodiles and hippo potamuses. Elephant ride was an added amusement to most of the children.

I saw numerous new birds and animals which were previously not known to me. Many of them had been brought from foreign countries. Thus the visit was to me not only a source of amusement but also of instruction.