Bhubaneswar: Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) in Odisha capital will be developed as a world-class zoo.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today approved a proposal in this regard. The Chief Minister had earlier asked the Forest department to prepare a blueprint for the development of Nandankanan, said a senior official.

The developmental work at NZP will be carried out in two phases. Nandankanan and Botanical Garden will be developed in the first phase from 2023-25. Night safari, safari complex and other facilities will be developed at nearby Choodanga forest in the second phase from 2025-28, said the official.

Nandankanan will have tunnel aquarium, water bird aviary, emersive enclosures, modern frontage, landscaping and other advanced facilities for the visitors as part of the developmental project, sources said.

NZP will turn into a nature study hub for children. There will be Nandankanan Club, Zoo Ambassador, Citizen Science, Know Your Trees and other initiatives to create awareness among the children, they added.

At present, NZP has altogether 4,012 animals and birds of 161 species. The zoo has 48 species of mammals, 77 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and six species of amphibians, said an official of the Forest department.

The authorities are taking steps to bring hoolock gibbon, pig tailed macaque, one horned rhinoceros, capped langur, spectacled monkey and clouded leopard to NZP from northeastern regions of India, added the official.

There are also proposals to bring cassowary, kangaroo and wallby to NZP from Australia, sources said.