Tamil Nadu Timeline

EnvironmentMGR era

Guindy declared a national park

· Guindy National Park

Guindy declared a national park
abhidg, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What was left of the forest on the old Guindy estate in Chennai was made a national park, among the smallest in India and one of only a few within a city.

The forest at Guindy adjoins and extends the grounds of Raj Bhavan, where the Governor lives. Its surviving woodland was handed over to the Forest Department in 1977, and national park status followed in 1978. At roughly 2.7 square km, the park ranks among India's smallest and is one of a handful lying within a metropolitan area. Blackbuck, more than 130 bird species and numerous reptiles live there.

Related events

  1. 1972

    1. 1972Guindy National ParkEnvironment

      Madras Snake Park moves to Guindy

      On land leased from the Forest Department in Guindy, herpetologist Romulus Whitaker established an enlarged snake park, run by a trust he set up.

  2. 1974

    1. 1974Anamalai Tiger ReserveEnvironment

      Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary notified

      The forests of the Anaimalai hills in the Western Ghats were notified as a wildlife sanctuary, later the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

  3. 1976

    1. 26 Aug 1976Madras Crocodile Bank TrustEnvironment

      Madras Crocodile Bank founded

      The Madras Crocodile Bank was founded on the East Coast Road by Romulus Whitaker, Zai Whitaker and others to protect India's crocodile species.

  4. 1980

    1. Oct 1980Pulicat LakeEnvironment

      Tamil Nadu part of Pulicat Lake declared a bird sanctuary

      The Tamil Nadu portion of the Pulicat lagoon in Tiruvallur district was declared a bird sanctuary in October 1980.

  5. 1985

    1. 1985VandalurEnvironment

      Madras zoo moves to Vandalur as Arignar Anna Zoological Park

      The Madras Zoo, founded in 1855, moved to a large new site at Vandalur as the Arignar Anna Zoological Park.

  6. 2007

    1. 9 Apr 2007Pallikaranai wetlandEnvironment

      Pallikaranai marsh notified as a reserve forest

      To stop the shrinking of Chennai's last large freshwater marsh, 317 hectares of Pallikaranai were declared a reserve forest.

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