Sayaji Baug

Brief History

The Inspiration of a Zoo in Baroda came from H. H. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III – a Great Visionary Ruler of Baroda.  It was way back in 1875 when a tract of land on the bank of river Vishwamitri, on the outskirts of the city was chosen by the Maharaja to develop a vast garden and a zoo. The Maharaja donated his own private collection of Indian and Exotic Animals to the Zoo, and on 8th January 1879, the park was declared open to the public.

Since then Sayaji Baug Zoo has a rich history of wildlife heritage, and has evolved as an institution for education and research.   With the establishment of Central Zoo Authority in 1992, new trends in Zoo management replaced old enclosures of concrete and iron bars by open moats, dry or filled with water, glass and other non obstructive barriers are used to give the visitor a feeling that there is nothing between himself and the animal. Sayaji Baug Zoo is in the process of following CZA guidelines in to. Zoo is designed to suit the individual needs of the species to be housed and care is taken that the environment is representative to the animals natural habitat.

Presently, the Sayaji Baug Zoo is dived in three section (1) Bird Section, (2) Bear Section (Rinchh Khana), (3) Tiger section (Wagh Khana), with 212 animals of 18 species, 583 birds of 64 species and 79 reptiles of 7 species. These includes 4 species from the Cat family, 5 species of Primates and 9 species of Ungulates. Total number of animals is 874 of 89 species.