Wildlife Photography at Nandankanan Zoological Park

Nandankanan Zoological Park in my view is the best zoological park in India that I have visited so far. I had visited this place on 2 different days while in Bhubaneshwar and I feel it is a great place to capture great wildlife moments even though it is a zoological park. Even though it requires a lot of patience to capture that moment or being at the right place at the right time. This zoo houses a lot of mammals, but I was mainly focused on capturing Indian wildlife. I had used my Canon EOS R6 and Tamron EF 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 telephoto lens.

It is great for not only capturing waterbirds such as herons, storks and pelicans but also some woodland species.

There is a protected fenced off lake within the park that houses a number of African Hippopotamuses.

I had spent a good amount time capturing the behaviour of Asiatic black bears. In India, these bears are mainly found in the Himalayas.

A collection of photographs of Indian jackals and Hyena. I was able to capture the hyena on the second day right before the park was about to close for the day. These are nocturnal creatures and even though it was a zoological park, they were underground for most of the day therefore they are very difficult to see.

One can also go for a bus safari to see lions, white tiger, sloth bear and herbivores. Here I was able to get good photos of Asiatic lions. The buses that organize these safaris are usually packed and it is very difficult to get good photos.

There is a small pond within the park that is home to many crocodiles and alligators. Here I was satisfied to get very natural shots and also captured a mating pair.

I did not spend much time photographing herbivores such as black buck and other deer species as the fence was usually in the way.

This is the only good shot I got of the Indian elephant as most of time it was chained in its enclosure.

I spent a good amount of time here photographing the two leopards. It was fun to see their natural behaviour as if they were in the wild. As you can see, I got some good action shots such as running and crouching.

Finally, here are some photos of tigers. The park houses Royal Bengal Tigers, White Bengal Tigers and Black Tigers.