Delhi zoo reopens today after 2 months

After more than two months of shutdown, the National Zoological Park (NZP) in Delhi will open for visitors from tomorrow, officials announced on Friday. The zoo has been closed since August 30 following the detection of avian influenza in the water bird aviary and death of several birds.

Zoo director Dr Sanjeet Kumar said all biosafety and surveillance guidelines from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying were being followed. On September 1, the zoo reported its last positive case of H5N1 avian influenza.

“Since then, random sampling was done every fortnight and all samples tested negative. It has been decided to reopen the zoo for visitors after receiving approval from the competent authority,” he said.

This was the third bird flu outbreak at the National Zoological Park. The zoo remained closed for several weeks after the virus was detected in water birds for the first time in 2016. In 2017, another case led to closure and culling of birds.

In August 2025, two painted storks tested positive H5N1 bird flu virus.