Mysore/Mysuru: Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo) has recorded an impressive 1.65 lakh visitors during the 10-day Dasara festivities that concluded on Tuesday (Oct. 24).

Mysuru Zoo stands as a prized gem in the heart of the city’s tourist scene, renowned for its meticulous care and thoughtfully designed enclosures. It stands as a premier attraction for city visitors and the numbers unequivocally attest to its popularity.

In the final two days of the Navarathri celebrations, particularly on the auspicious occasions of Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami, the Zoo had 28,287 and 23,890 visitors, respectively. In total, 1,65,003 tourists revelled in the Zoo.

Day-by-day visitor count from Oct. 15 to Oct. 24

On Oct. 15, the inaugural day of the festival, the Zoo welcomed 16,600 visitors, with numbers gradually increasing each day.

On Oct. 16, there were 10,145 visitors, on Oct. 17 – 8,599, on Oct. 18 – 10,603, on Oct. 19 – 11,098, on Oct. 20 – 11,280, on Oct. 21 – 16,895, on Oct.  22 – 25,180, on Oct. 23 – 28,287 and on Oct. 24 – 23,890 tourists and others 2,426.

Compared to 1,65,003 tourists in 2023, in 2022, 1,55,588 visitors saw the Zoo in 10 days with 22,909 tourists on Ayudha Puja Day and 36,013 on Vijayadashami. Though 2022 recorded the highest number of visitors on Vijayadashami (36,013) the 10-day visitors increased to 1,65,003 in 2023 from 1,55,588 tourists in 2022.

In the 2021 Dasara, the Zoo attracted 75,251 visitors. The lowest turnout was recorded in 2020, a year overshadowed by COVID-19 pandemic, with just 20,217 visitors over the ten days of Dasara.

It is worth to mention here that the Zoo had to remain closed for a significant portion of 2020 due to lockdown measures, which also resulted in a severe financial crisis, impacting entry gate ticket collections. Many donors and Ministers came forward to generously donate money for the Zoo to sustain during a crisis. 

In 2020, 3,534 visitors saw the Zoo on Ayudha Puja Day and 7,264 visitors paid a visit on Vijayadashami Day amidst a restricted atmosphere with a lot of precautionary measures to curb the spread of the contagion. Compared to 2022, this year had 9,415 extra visitors to the Zoo.

 The visitor count on Vijayadashami in 2021 exceeded that of this year, with 27,093 tourists visiting the Zoo while this year’s Vijayadashami recorded 23,890 visitors. The lowest attendance was in 2020, with a mere 7,264 visitors during Vijayadashami.