Bhubaneswar: Nadankanan Zoological Park has witnessed record footfall of tourists in 2017-18 financial year with 34.91 lakh tourists visiting the zoo and the state botanical garden, an increase of 1.14 lakh tourists as compared to the 2016-17 fiscal. As per official statistics 32.99 lakh, tourists thronged the zoo only in 2017-18.

Zoo officials said that the park also witnessed a record collection of revenue of Rs 14.28 crore in 2017-18 as against Rs 9.69 crore in 2016-17. "The 2017-18 fiscal was the most successful year in terms of numbers of visitors and revenue generation. The number of animals of the zoo also touched 3,000 during the fiscal, which was the highest since the zoo was set up in 1960. We had come up with various amenities for the visitors during this period," said deputy director of the park Jayant Dash.

Zoo officials said that several visitors' amenities were created in the last fiscal including four drinking water points and a baby care centre.

"Besides, we also renovated six rain shelters along with three new rain shelters last financial year. Two major tourists attractions - the toy train and the rope way service that had stopped few years ago - are also set to resume shortly," said a zoo official.

Bear dies

Sambhu, a 30-year-old male Himalayan black bear, died at the zoo on Sunday evening. Sambhu was born at Nandankanan. He was suffering from bone cancer and was undergoing treatment for the last three months.