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| Sri Lanka's second zoo |
New zoo in Pinnawala
Sri Lanka has allocated Rs. 600 million for the second stage of the building of a new zoo in Pinnawala, Kegalle. The first stage of the Pinnawala zoo is now being constructed at a cost of Rs. 577 million in a 48-acre land adjacent to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Kegalle district. The internal roads, food stores and the animal sections are now being built under the first stage. The official said over 95% of the first stage of the construction is now over.While the first stage of the Pinnawala zoo will comprise only animals, birds and other fauna endemic to Sri Lanka, the second phase of the project will be constructed to house foreign species. The zoo will have a special open section displaying the free-roaming Sri Lankan leopard. The government says a second zoo adjacent to the world famous tourist hot spot Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage will boost tourism and provide direct and indirect employment to a large number of the people in the area. The complete zoo built with modern facilities will cover 100 acres of land.