Katraj Snake Park

Pune, Maharashtra (One Day)

The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, commonly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Zoo or Katraj Zoo is located in Katraj, Pune district, Maharashtra State, India. It is managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation. The zoo is divided into three parts i.e. an animal orphanage, a snake park, and a zoo, and includes Katraj Lake.

The zoo has collections of reptiles, mammals, and birds. Among mammals, the zoo has a white tiger and 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.

Slightly outside the city proper, the park is located along the Pune-Satara Highway, near the Bharati Vidyapeeth University. The park is 8 km (5.0 mi) from the main city of Pune, close to the Katraj Bus Depot. PMPML buses may be obtained from Swargate.