Colombo Dehiwala Zoo (National Zoological Garden of Sri Lanka)

National Zoological Garden of Sri Lanka, Colombo Overview

The National Zoological Garden of Sri Lanka, also known as the Colombo Zoo or the Dehiwala Zoo is home to over 300 different species of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish from all over the world. It also has a beautiful butterfly garden, fountains, and colorful flowers.

The National Zoological Garden of Sri Lanka stretches over almost 30 acres. One of the main focuses of the zoo is to look after the conservation of the animals and is visited by many students today for research and analysis of the different species of flora and fauna. There is also an educational program of the chimpanzees, organized on a timely basis. Today the National Zoological Garden is quite developed and offers facilities like elephant and pony rides, boat rides, and restaurants accompanied by ice-cream shops. There is also a souvenir shop.

Animal Shows at National Zoological Garden

1. Elephant Performance:
One of the main highlights of the National Zoological Garden is the elephant show, which usually takes place by 5:15 PM. The elephants are seen performing many tricks and antics like standing up on their hind legs or hopping on their foot.

2. Educational performance of the chimpanzees:
The National Zoological Garden has a baby chimpanzee by the name 'Sanju'. The zoo raised the chimpanzee, and today you can learn about the chimpanzee's behaviours.

3. Sea Lion Performance:
There is a separate timing for the sea lion's performance. It takes place by the sea lion pool every day around 7:45 PM (however refer to the daily time table as it is subject to change).

Visiting The Zoo Aquarium

The National Zoological Garden boasts of its wide variety of flora and fauna along with some shows to entertain you. There is also a zoo aquarium which is popular among many tourists because of its substantial collection of aquatic life. Here you will be amazed by the wide variety of aquatic life which is ranging from freshwater, marine water and brackish water flora and fauna. During night time the aquatic living species are lighted, which altogether makes for a delightful meeting with the aquatic world.

History of National Zoological Garden

Sri Lanka's history of collecting animals and keeping them as kings were carried out by the Sinhalese kings and continued further by the British. The National Zoological Garden was founded in the late 1920s by John Hagenbeck. The zoo was closed at the beginning of World War II, and it was later taken over and added by the Sri Lankan government collection of zoological gardens. This makes 1939 the official year in which the National Zoological Garden was started in Sri Lanka.