A zoological park (also known as a zoological garden, animal park, or menagerie) is a place where various living animals are kept in enclosures to entertain and educate people about species conservation.
Zoos in India are managed and recognised by the Central Zoo Authority of India which was constituted in 1992 under section 38A of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
The Arignar Anna Zoological Park is India's largest zoo. This zoo is approximately 1300 acres (6.03 km²) in size and contains 171 species of flora and fauna, including rare species. The 2nd biggest in India is Nandankanan Zoological Park and the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park of Visakhapatnam is the third biggest zoological park in India.
The Marble Palace Zoo in West Bengal, founded in 1854 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, is India's oldest and first zoo, primarily serving as an aviary for peacocks, toucans, storks, and cranes.
List of Zoological Parks in India
| Name | Location | State | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alipore Zoological Gardens | Kolkata | West Bengal | 1875 |
| Amirthi Zoological Park | Vellore | Tamil Nadu | 1967 |
| Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Vandalur Zoo) | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 1885 |
| Aizawl Zoo | Aizawl | Mizoram | 2006 |
| Allen Forest Zoo / Kanpur Zoological Park / Kanpur Zoo | Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh | 1974 |
| Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden | Guwahati | Assam | 1958 |
| Bhiwani Zoo | Bhiwani | Haryana | 1982* |
| Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park / Ranchi Zoo | Ranchi | Jharkhand | 1994 |
| Black Buck Breeding Centre Pipli Mini Zoo | Kurukshetra | Haryana | 1982 |
| Chatt Bir Zoo | Zirakpur | Punjab | 1977 |
| Chennai Snake Park Trust | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 1972 |
| Chinkara Breeding Centre Kairu ( Bhiwaninear Bahal) | Bhiwani | Haryana | 1985 |
| Crocodile Breeding Centre (Bhaur Saidan (Kurukshetra) | Kurukshetra | Haryana | 1987 |
| Gopalpur Zoo (Dhauladhar Nature Park) | Gopalpur | Himachal Pradesh | 1992 |
| Gulab Bagh and Zoo | Udaipur | Rajasthan | 1887 |
| Hisar Deer Park | Hisar | Haryana | 1971 |
| Indore Zoo | Indore | Madhya Pradesh | 1974 |
| Jaipur Zoo | Jaipur | Rajasthan | 1877 |
| Indira Gandhi Zoological Park | Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | 1977 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park | Bokaro Steel City | Jharkhand | 1989 |
| National Zoological Park | New Delhi | Delhi | 1959 |
| Nehru Zoological Park | Hyderabad | Telangana | 1963 |
| Nandankanan Zoological Park | Bhubaneswar | Odisha | 1960 |
| Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park | Darjeeling | West Bengal | 1957 |
| Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park | Pune | Maharashtra | 1999 |
| Jhargram Zoo (Junglemahal Zoological Park) | Jhargram | West Bengal | 1980 |
| Jijamata Udyaan / Byculla Zoo (formerly Victoria Gardens) | Mumbai | Maharashtra | 1861 |
| Kankaria Zoo / Kamla Nehru Zoo | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 1951 |
| Kanpur Zoo | Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh | 1974 |
| Kurukshetra Zoo | Karnal | Haryana | 1982 |
| Lucknow Zoo | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 1921 |
| Madras Crocodile Bank Trust | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 1976 |
| Maitri Bagh | Bhilainagar | Chhattisgarh | 1972 |
| Marble Palace Zoo | Kolkata | West Bengal | 1854 |
| Mysore Zoo /Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden | Mysore | Karnataka | 1892 |
| Parassinikkadavu Snake Park | Kannur | Kerala | 1982 |
| Peacock & Chinkara Breading Centre Jhabua | Rewari | Haryana | 2011 |
| Pheasant Breeding Centre Berwala | Panchkula district | Haryana | |
| Pheasant Breeding Centre Morni | Panchkula | Haryana | |
| Pt. G.B. Pant High Altitude Zoo | Nainital | Uttarakhand | 1995 |
| Rohtak Zoo | Rohtak | Haryana | 1987 |
| Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan | Patna | Bihar | 1973 |
| Sarthana Zoo | Surat | Gujarat | 1984 |
| Sayaji Baug Zoo (Kamati Baug) | Vadodara | Gujarat | 1879 |
| Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary | Tripura | Tripura | 1972 |
| Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden | Junagadh | Gujarat | 1863 |
| Sajjangarh Biological Park | Udaipur | Rajasthan | 2015 |
| Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park | Tirupati | Andhra Pradesh | 1987 |
| Tata Steel Zoological Park (Jubilee Park) | Jamshedpur | Jharkhand | 1958 |
| Thiruvananthapuram Zoo | Trivandrum | Kerala | 1857 |
| Thrissur Zoo | Thrissur | Kerala | 1885 |
| Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre / Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre | Pinjore | Haryana | 2001 |