Nandankanan, literally meaning The Garden of Heaven, is located near the capital city, Bhubaneswar, in the environs of the Chandaka forest, and includes the 134-acre (54 ha) Kanjia lake.
It became the first zoo in India to join World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2009.
The Reptile Park's cave-like entrance is guarded by a life size Tyrannosaurus rex replica.[12] This houses numerous species of crocodiles, lizards, turtles, and snakes.
The zoo includes 34 aquaria which are home to a large variety of fresh water fish.
Endangered species such as the Asiatic lion, three Indian crocodilians, Sangal lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian pangolin, mouse deer and countless birds, reptiles and fish have been breeding successfully at Nandankanan.
Three white tigers were born in the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India in 1980. Their parents were an orange father–daughter pair called Deepak and Ganga, who were not related to Mohan or any other captive white tiger.
The zoo enjoys a good reputation internationally for successfully breeding black panthers, gharials, and white tigers in captivity.
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