Minister of Tourism and Sports Navin Dissanayake said that Sri Lanka’s first open-air zoological gardens at Pinnawala will be opened for public on Friday April 17th. The Open Air Zoo is adjacent to the world famous Elephant Orphanage and has been built at a cost of Rs. 862 million.

This 44 acre zoo will have two zones – “Sri Lankan” and “World”. The “Sri Lankan” zone constructed at a cost of Rs. 577 million will have native animals of Sri Lanka such as deer, leopards and crocodiles. A special section of the zoo will be dedicated to the free roaming leopard. The ‘World’ zone will house non-native animal species. The Minister also said the public will have an opportunity to visit the open air zoo free of charge from April 17-30.