Allen Forest Zoo

Allen Forest Zoo, also known as Kanpur Zoological Park, is a large zoological park located inside the Allen Forest in Nawabganj, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest and largest zoos in India, spread over 76.56 hectares of natural forest. It is known for its open, moated enclosures, natural lake, botanical garden and diverse collection of mammals, birds and reptiles.

Visitors can expect a natural forest setting with shaded avenues, a large natural lake inside the premises, and open moated enclosures housing tigers, leopards, lions, hyenas, deer, primates, and reptiles. The zoo offers a toy train ride around the campus, boating on the lake, a botanical garden, aquarium, and nocturnal house. Paths are spread out and require considerable walking to cover the entire area.

Allen Forest was developed between 1913 and 1916 by British botanist George Berney Allen. The zoological park was established inside the forest and opened to the public on 4 February 1971. It was conceived as an open zoo with moated enclosures rather than caged displays, making it one of the first of its kind in India.

The zoo serves as a major educational, recreational and conservation centre for Kanpur and Uttar Pradesh, promoting wildlife awareness and housing a botanical garden with rare tree species from the original Allen Forest plantation.