Bathinda zoo set to screen films at mini-theatre for wildlife awareness

A mini theatre is set to become operational at Bir Talab Zoo, a tourist attraction spread over 161 acres on the outskirts of Bathinda town. Short films aimed at educating visitors about nature and wildlife conservation will be screened at the theatre, which has been built at a cost of around Rs 35 lakh.

Enclosures constructed on 2,000 sq m at a cost of Rs 88 lakh to house two black bears are also ready. However, the mandatory approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) is still pending. Once the approval is received, a pair of black bears will be brought here from a nature park in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

At present, the zoo houses two pairs of leopards, several blackbucks, deer, monkeys and various bird species. It also has a deer safari. Speaking with The Tribune, Gurdeep Singh Sidhu, Forest Range Officer and zoo in-charge, said, “An air-conditioned 58-seater mini theatre having a large screen and enclosures for black bears are ready. We will open the mini theatre for the public soon, but the approval to bring black bears is still awaited from the CZA.”

Regarding ticket prices for the mini theatre, he said, “Apart from the zoo entry fee, we are considering to keep the ticket price at Rs 10 for every child, Rs 50 each for adults and Rs 20 per person for groups.”

The zoo was established in 1978 by the District Red Cross Society and was taken over by the Punjab Forest and Wildlife Preservation Department in 1982.