State forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Thursday formally reopened the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden in Guwahati.

The state zoo remained closed since the Covid19-induced nationwide lockdown.

Minister Suklabaidya reopened the zoo in presence of senior forest officials.

He also fed an elephant inside the zoo.

While sharing pictures of the re-opening moments on his Twitter handle, Suklabaidya said the ticketing system has been made completely online.

The visitors can book tickets through the official website of the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden – http://assamstatezoo.in.

The minister said the visitors will be able to enjoy the “flora and fauna hotspot” of the state from January 2, 2021.

“Formally opened the @assamzoo today in presence of senior forest officials post lockdown. Ticketing system has been made completely online by booking through http://assamstatezoo.in. Visitors can step in & enjoy this flora & fauna hotspot from 2nd Jan, 2021,” forest minister Suklabaidya tweeted.

The authorities earlier planned to open the zoo from December 1, however, it was postponed due to the Covid19 pandemic situation.

The divisional forest officer (DFO) of the state zoo, Tejas Mariswamy, earlier informed that the plan to reopen the zoo on December 1 was dropped due to the emergence of new Covid19 cases.

Mariswamy said a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been issued for the reopening of the zoo.

All Covid19 protocols will be strictly followed to prevent infection, the DFO said.

She also informed that tickets would be sold online and 1,000 visitors will be allowed to visit the zoo daily.

Face masks wearing, use of sanitizers and maintaining of social distancing will be mandatory for visitors and the staff members of the zoo, the forest official said.