National Zoological Park

What National Zoological Park does

National Zoological Park (NZP), located on Mathura Road in New Delhi, is a government-run zoological park operated under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Founded in 1959 and granted the status of India's "model zoo" in 1982, NZP maintains a single 176-acre campus displaying 99 species (41 mammals, 45 birds, 13 reptiles), with plans to scale to 254 species and approximately 2,000 animals. The park was designed with input from Carl Hagenbeck of Hamburg, featuring open moated enclosures, a walk-in aviary, butterfly park, and 12 battery-operated trolleys for visitor transportation. It is regulated by the Central Zoo Authority under Section 38H of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and holds WAZA institutional membership since January 2012.

NZP operates a direct-to-consumer attraction business. Revenue is generated through tiered entrance fees (₹80 domestic adult, ₹400 non-SAARC foreign, ₹200 SAARC, ₹20-40 concessional educational), parking charges, filming permits (up to ₹50,000/day for feature film), battery-operated trolley rides operated by a licensed private agency, cloakroom services, and an animal adoption donation programme. Distribution runs through both an online ticketing portal with OTP verification (nzpnewdelhi.gov.in) and on-site gate counters. Target customers include Delhi/NCR families, school and college groups, domestic and international tourists, researchers, and film production houses.

NZP is publicly financed, employing roughly 203 staff across Group A, B, and C cadres, and operates without venture funding or private equity. It records approximately 2.7 million annual visitors and ₹121.88 million in 2017-18 gate receipts. Key strategic priorities include expanding the species base under the master plan, deepening educational programming via an annual events calendar (Wildlife Day, Van Mahotsav, Sunday Bird Walks), and maintaining conservation breeding pipelines that have produced white tigers distributed to 11 Indian zoos since 1987 and 20 black bucks released at Asola Wildlife Sanctuary.

Name

National Zoological Park

Legal name

National Zoological Park

Website

https://nzpnewdelhi.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Zoological Park is a government-run zoological park in New Delhi, India, operated under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It serves Delhi/NCR families, students, and tourists with wildlife viewing, conservation education, and structured internship programmes, funded through gate receipts and central government budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Zoological Park & Wildlife Conservation

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE), Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Zoological park services
• Wildlife conservation
• Endangered species breeding
• Conservation education programmes
• Zoo visitor services

Headquarters

HQ city

Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Entrance Ticket Sales: Revenue from entrance fees charged to domestic and foreign visitors across various categories including adults, children, senior citizens, and students on educational tours.
2. Parking Fees: Charges for vehicles including cars, autos, buses, trucks, and two-wheelers parked at zoo premises.
3. Battery Operated Vehicle Rides: Revenue from battery-operated trolley services for visitors who cannot walk the zoo grounds, operated by private agency on license.
4. Filming Charges: Fees charged for documentary and feature film shootings within the zoo premises.
5. Cloak Room Services: Charges for luggage storage services at the cloak room.
6. Animal Adoption Program: Visitors can adopt animals through the animal adoption program, supporting animal care and welfare.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Zoological Park operates a 114-acre government zoological park in New Delhi housing 99 species across mammals, birds, and reptiles, including endangered species such as Asiatic Lion, Bengal Tiger, Indian Rhinoceros, and Sangai Deer. Its core offering combines public zoo visitation (in-person and via online ticketing), conservation breeding of endangered species for potential wild release, and structured education/internship/volunteer programmes. Supporting services include battery-operated trolley tours, animal adoption, parking, filming access, and cloakroom amenities.

Product overview

National Zoological Park is a government zoo (previously Delhi Zoo, renamed in 1982) offering a unified visitor experience combining wildlife viewing, conservation education, and recreational facilities. The core offering centres on zoo entry through online ticket booking and on-site ticket sales. The portfolio includes supporting services: animal adoption programme, battery-operated car tours for mobility-impaired visitors, and comprehensive visitor amenities (parking, cloakroom, wheelchairs). Educational offerings constitute a significant component: structured internship and volunteership programmes for students and conservation enthusiasts, a year-round zoo education events calendar, and conservation education programmes with documentary screenings and workshops. The institution also publishes annual reports and animal inventory documents as part of its transparency and research mandates. No modular platform architecture exists; the offering is a single integrated zoo operation with multiple co-equal service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Ticket Booking Digital ticketing service allowing visitors to purchase entrance tickets, battery-operated car rides, and educational tour tickets through the official government portal with mobile OTP verification.
• Animal Adoption Programme Programme allowing individuals and organizations to financially adopt zoo animals, supporting animal care and welfare, with adoption details available via downloadable PDF document.
• Battery Operated Car Service Pollution-free battery-operated trolley service operated by a private agency on license basis for visitors who cannot walk the zoo grounds, priced per seat or per trip.
• Internship Programme Structured internship programme for students in fields of wildlife, environment, education, biodiversity, and conservation, providing hands-on exposure to zoo operations and conservation activities.
• Volunteership Programme Volunteer programme for individuals interested in animal welfare, exposing participants to in-situ conservation methods, animal care in captivity, and zoo administrative activities.
• Zoo Events Regular educational events including Sunday Bird Walks (06:30 AM - 09:30 AM), Butterfly and Dragonfly Walks, and celebrations of Wildlife Day, Elephant Day, Wetland Day, World Water Day, Environment Day, and Van Mahotsav.
• Conservation Education Programme Conservation education and awareness programmes including documentary film screenings, lectures, workshops, and outreach activities targeting students, volunteers, and general visitors.
• Zoo Filming Access Licensed filming access for documentary and feature film production crews at per-day rates (documentary ₹2,000/day, feature film ₹50,000/day), allowing professional wildlife content production within zoo premises.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.7 million annual visitors served
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Zoo Authority (CZA)coreOthers · 10 January 2012NZP operates under the regulatory oversight of the Central Zoo Authority as mandated by Section 38H of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. CZA recognition is required for zoo operation, and NZP received WAZA institutional membership with CZA support.
• NIC/NICSIminorOthersNational Informatics Centre (NIC) and its technology subsidiary NICSI host and maintain the official website of National Zoological Park.
• Battery Operated Trolley AgencyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate agency operating 12 pollution-free battery operated trolleys on license basis for visitor transportation within the zoo.
• Canteen OperatorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party operator providing canteen and refreshment services outside the zoo premises.
• Centre for Environment Education, AhmedabadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged for providing informative educational exhibits as part of zoo's master plan development for 2018-19 activities including walk-in aviary, butterfly park, nocturnal animal house, visitor centre.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alipore Zoo, Kolkata: India's oldest zoo (1876), government-operated with comparable mission, species collection, and ticketed visitor model. Same regulatory regime under CZA and Wildlife (Protection) Act.
• Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Chennai Zoo): One of the largest zoos in South Asia, operated by the Tamil Nadu government. Comparable Indian government zoo with similar visitor volumes, conservation breeding programs, and educational programming.
• Smithsonian's National Zoo (Washington DC): National government zoo in a major capital city with comparable mission of conservation, research, and public education. Operates under federal oversight with free entry policy, contrasts with NZP's ticketed model but parallels on educational mission.
• London Zoo (Zoological Society of London): Capital city zoo with a long heritage in conservation breeding, education, and research. Comparable as a chartered zoo with charitable/conservation mission and direct-to-consumer visitor focus.
• Mysore Zoo (Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens): One of India's oldest and most renowned zoos, government-operated with a strong conservation and education mission. Highly comparable as an Indian government zoo with similar species mix, visitor scale, and CZA regulatory framework.
• Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad: Major Indian government zoo operated by the Telangana state forest department. Directly comparable in scale, government ownership, regulatory environment (CZA), and urban wildlife conservation mission.

Broad incumbents

• Singapore Zoo (Mandai Wildlife Group): Major Asian zoo with comparable tropical wildlife collection, family entertainment positioning, and conservation mission. Operates within a multi-attraction wildlife portfolio (Night Safari, River Wonders) which gives it broader scope.
• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Global leader in zoo-based conservation, research, and visitor experience. Operates multiple facilities with scale and conservation pedigree well beyond NZP, but the mission alignment (conservation + research + education) makes it the benchmark comparable.
• Bronx Zoo (Wildlife Conservation Society): Major metropolitan zoo with strong conservation and research programming. Operated by a nonprofit conservation society that runs multiple wildlife parks globally, broader scope than NZP but comparable urban zoo model.
• Berlin Zoological Garden (Zoologischer Garten Berlin): Major European capital city zoo with high species diversity, strong conservation mission, and significant visitor traffic. Comparable in scale, mission, and operating model as a flagship metropolitan zoo.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nzpdelhi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCC9zbRZR9f5CD9SdJfXbSzg
• Facebookfacebook.com/100067485382447
• Instagraminstagram.com/delhizoo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Zoological Park