Katraj Zoo

The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, commonly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Zoo or Katraj Zoo,[3] is located in Katraj, Pune district, Maharashtra State, India.

Katraj Zoo, also known as the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, offers a diverse range of animal species and features a snake park, an animal orphanage, and a zoo section. It is located in Katraj, Pune, and spreads across 130 acres, including a 42-acre lake. The zoo is known for its naturalistic animal housing, conservation breeding, and wildlife conservation education and research

The zoo has a collection of reptiles, mammals, and birds. Among mammals, the zoo had a white tiger and has a male Bengal tiger named Tanaji. Other mammals at the zoo include leopard, sloth bears, sambhars, barking deer, blackbucks, monkeys, and elephants. Reptiles include Indian rock python, cobra, snakes, vipers, Indian crocodiles and Indian star tortoise and birds such as peafowl also feature.

The snake park has a large collection of snakes, reptiles, birds and turtles. There are over 22 species of snakes with 10 species of reptiles comprising more than 150 individuals. This includes a 13-foot-long king cobra. Information about the snakes is provided in Braille, as well as more conventional formats, and the park includes a library. The snake park has organized many snake festivals and snake awareness programs to clarify doubts and destroy fears about snakes. During Nag Panchami, the park arranges programs to discourage ill-treatment of snakes.

In April 2017, the zoo replaced the white tiger with a pair of Asiatic lions. These lions appear to have been one reason why visits to the zoo increased significantly, since the previous year.[3]