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A few of the larger mammals visitors can expect to encounter include chimpanzees, lions, hippopotamus, African buffalo, Indian elephants, giraffes, spider monkeys, and zebras. There are also a number of migratory bird species of note, along with water birds, crocodiles, hyenas, macaques, and jaguars. An underground reptile house is located at the center of the zoo. The grounds can be explored either on foot or by using one of the zoo’s electric buggies.
The National Zoological Park is located just off Mathura Road, a main thoroughfare that runs north to south on the eastern side of New Delhi. It's just north of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Humayan's Tomb. Pragati Maidan, Khan Market, and Jahwarlal Nehru metro stations are each around 20 minutes away on foot.
The zoo is open every day of the week except for Friday, from morning until late afternoon. It’s best visited first thing in the day, particularly if you are coming during the hotter months of the year (April-June).
This zoo is set up to house animals in a way that's as close as possible to their natural environment, and while some residents here are naturally kept in enclosures, others get free roaming privileges around the grounds. These include civets, mongooses, bats, and even porcupines, along with all sorts of avian species, from resident ducks to pelicans that come and go as they please.