Thiruvananthapuram | In the middle of Keralam's capital, where traffic and concrete have steadily closed in around it, a vast stretch of green has survived for more than a century and a half.
It is home to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, an institution that began functioning in 1859 and has since become woven into the history and memory of the city.
Now, that familiar landscape is at the centre of a new debate, as the Congress-led UDF government moves towards shifting the zoo to the forest-fringe area of Neyyar.
The proposal has raised a larger question --What will the city lose if a part of its history is moved away? Former Thiruvananthapuram mayor and CPI(M) leader V K Prasanth has opposed the move.
He has now renewed his campaign against the relocation, calling the zoo the "Emerald island" of the capital and urging people to protect what he describes as its unique heritage.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan recently suggested moving the zoo to Neyyar or another forest area, saying wild animals should be kept closer to their natural habitat.
He also proposed developing the existing site as a public space along the lines of Madison Square in the US.
The proposal has received support from BJP leader and Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V V Rajesh, who said relocation could provide better facilities for the animals and help create a modern zoological park.
State Health Minister K Muraleedharan has since said the zoo would be shifted to Neyyar and that the move would be implemented after consultations with those concerned.
But for Prasanth, the question is not merely about moving animals from one location to another.
In his latest Facebook post, he described the zoo as the "Emerald island" of Thiruvananthapuram and recalled its long history.
Established in 1859, the zoo grew alongside the museum, gardens and other institutions that form one of the most recognisable heritage landscapes of the capital.
Prasanth pointed to the zoo's trees, open spaces and biodiversity, saying the area functions as the "heart and lungs" of the city.
He also highlighted the large number of visitors the zoo receives every year and its accessibility to ordinary people.
According to him, the zoo attracts around 14 lakh visitors annually.
It houses more than 1,000 animals belonging to nearly 100 species. Its wooded landscape and natural lake also support a variety of birds and other small fauna.
For many, the history of the zoo is also tied to the larger vision of the Travancore rulers who helped give the capital some of its enduring landmarks.
Prasanth's post traces the zoo's story to the days of the Travancore Maharajas, when the capital was taking shape as a modern city.
Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, whom he describes as a ruler who gave Travancore a modern face, established the Star Bungalow during his reign.
"It was during the reign of Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja, between 1847 and 1860, that the museum was established and the zoo began functioning in 1859," Prasanth says.
Later, during the reign of Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma, between 1880 and 1885, the Napier Museum was completed under the leadership of architect Robert Chisholm, he says.
Prasanth also points to what he describes as the zoo's record of conservation and animal care.
"Established as the first zoo in India, it is now classified in the large category and has received an award from the Biodiversity Board," he says.
In 2004, the animals were shifted to open enclosures in accordance with Central Zoo Authority standards.
He further claims that there has been no reported transmission of disease from the zoo to humans in its history.
Apart from a recent incident involving a lion-tailed macaque that escaped from its enclosure, he says no wild animal has escaped from the zoo.
For Prasanth, much of the zoo's character lies beyond its animal enclosures.
Its 387 rare species of trees and extensive greenery, he says, have made the sprawling compound a place where wildlife and the city's heritage exist side by side.
The government, however, has said the existing site could be developed as a major public space.
The debate has also brought back memories of the relocation of the Thrissur Zoo to Puthur, which is being cited by supporters of the Thiruvananthapuram proposal as a model for creating a larger and more natural habitat for animals.
The local CPI(M) leadership's argument is that Thiruvananthapuram is different.
The zoo, museum, galleries, gardens and its wooded surroundings form a unique urban heritage landscape that, they argue, cannot simply be recreated elsewhere.
For a city that has grown around it, the zoo is therefore not just a place to see animals. It is a part of the city's memory, they argue.
