Alipore Zoo to soon unveil 'Nocturnal House' as New Year's gift for Kolkatans

Kolkata: The Alipore Zoological Gardens is all set to unveil a separate enclosure for nocturnal animals, as an added attraction during winter.

"We are offering this (Nocturnal House) as a new year gift to the people of the state. The date of inauguration has not been fixed yet. It will be inaugurated by the last week of December this year," said Asis Kumar Samanta, director of Alipore Zoo.

He reiterated that work is now going on in full swing for giving finishing touches to the separate enclosures of owls, pangolins, porcupines, slow loris and several other kinds of nocturnal animals.

According to sources, state Forest minister Rajib Banerjee is likely to inaugurate the Nocturnal House on December 23.

"We have no separate enclosure for the nocturnal animals. The new enclosure will have a varied collection of these animals so that visitors can see them under one roof. There will be a special kind of lighting to ensure that the animals are perfectly at ease at all times," pointed out a senior official of the zoo.

Nocturnal House, which is coming up in the western flank of the zoo, has big a statute of an owl at its entrance. It was earlier home to monkeys in Gubbay House, named after 19th-century Jewish merchant Elia Shalom Gubbay, who had funded it.

However, the architecture and lighting of the Nocturnal House have been crafted to create a night-like atmosphere during the day.

"We have been instructed to complete the interior work in another five days," said a carpenter working outside the Nocturnal House on Tuesday.

The Alipore Zoological Garden, also known as Alipore Zoo or Calcutta Zoo, is India's oldest zoological park. It is

also one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city and sees the most footfall during winter.