Central Zoo

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Physical facilities at the Central Zoo

Information counter
Souvenir shop
Paddleboat and rafting
Picnic shed
Couple chairs
Children ground (swings, funny temple, merry-go-round, Uranus etc.)
Visitor centre (with audio visual facilities)
Library (books and audio visuals)
Aquarium (sub-tropical fish)

In 1995, Government of Nepal entrusted the management of Nepal’s Central Zoo, the only zoo in Nepal, located at Jawalakhel in the Kathmandu Valley to NTNC for 30 years. Established as a private zoo in 1932 by the late Rana Prime Minister Juddha Samsher, it came under the ownership of Government of Nepal after the political changes of 1950 and remained under the management of various government departments before it’s management was handed over to NTNC on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Birthday Celebration of the Late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in December 1995.

The Trust aims to develop the Central Zoo as a center for ex-situ wildlife research and conservation education. The Central Zoo, with an area of about 6 ha., provides shelter to a total of 942 individual mammal, bird, fish and reptile of 127 species. It also serves as recreational center for the visitors. Central Zoo uniquely serves as a historical cultural site for diverse groups of people.

Over one million visitors come to enjoy the displays at the Central Zoo annually. The main source of income has been the revenue collected from the entry ticket sales. With an aim of generating public awareness and participation in nature and wildlife conservation, the Central Zoo has been successfully running a special membership based program called the “Friends of Zoo” (FOZ) with a network of schools in Kathmandu Valley. The animal management unit is improving and enriching the enclosures to provide better habitats for the zoo animals and are now in a better situation with the operation of a recently established “Animal Hospital”. New displays, of national and international species, are often added in order to educate and to introduce the visitors to the different wild species from within the country and abroad. Increasingly the Central Zoo's role in wildlife rescue, release and rehabilitation is being recognized as an indispensible role for enhancing the wildlife national responsiveness capacity of the country, especially with growing incidents related to problem animal management, animal emergency, animal shelter and refuge, disease among others.

Fees at the Central Zoo
Ticket Type:	Rates (NRs)
Nepali nationals
Adult	:NRs 200
Student	:NRs 135
Children (from 4-12 years)	:NRs 75
Senior Citizen (above 65 years)	:NRs 100
SAARC nationals
Adult	:NRs 500
Children(from 4-12 years)	:NRs 250
Foreign nationals
Adult	:NRs 1000
Children (from 4-12 years)	:NRs 500
Filming (per day):
Video and documentary filming	:NRs 25,000
Feature filming	:NRs 40,000

Fishing:
Nepali and Foreigner	:NRs 1000
FOZ members	:NRs 500

Friends of Zoo (FoZ) Membership Fees*
Membership Category	New Membership	Membership Renewal (annual)
Adult	:NRs 500	:NRs 300
Family (up to four members)	:NRs 1000	:NRs 700
School Student	:NRs 300	:NRs 100

* New FoZ membership fees effective as of Bhadra 01, 2080 (August 18, 2023)

Note:

The Central Zoo opens 10:00 am – 05:00 pm hours from Sunday to Saturday
Visitors can purchase tickets from 1000 –1700 hours during summers and 1000 –1600 hours during winters (Kartik 16 to Magh 15 in Nepali calendar, generally falling between early November to end of January)
Fishing is open from 1st of Chaitra till 30th of Kartik
Use of Plastic bags is prohibited

Objectives

To improve animal health and welfare by creating natural habitat and providing food according to their dietary requirement;
To encourage research and provide conservation education through first-hand experience of wild animals; and
To raise public awareness on the importance of nature conservation.