Shuka Vana (Parrot Park in English), is a rehabilitation centre for birds, started by Sri Ganapathi Schchidananda Swamiji in Mysore.
Started in 2012 to give shelter to injured and abandoned birds, today Shuka Vana boasts over 365 different species of birds totalling to over 1,500 birds.
Once you go inside Shuka Vana, you will be lost for words because of various reasons.
Reason 1: The rich collection of exotic birds are very rare to see. You must see it to believe it. There are many varieties of macaws, amazons, cockatoos, parrots, eclectus and more species.
Reason 2: Every bird is taken care like an infant / kid. All care takers genuinely take good care of all birds. We were just starring at the care takers and admiring their love for birds.
Reason 3: All birds have a pet name, literally, all are Indian names. When we were there, the pet names we heard were – Ravi, Raghu, Sindhu, Mani and many more that we couldn’t recollect.
Reason 4: Shuka Vana is very well maintained. All bird cages are well labelled with detailed writeup about the bird.
Reason 5: This uber cool place is FREE to enter, no strings attached.
Talkies Tip If you want to take photos with birds, there is a separate room in Shuka Vana (it is a paid service).
We’ve been to Shuka Vana thrice so far. Every time, its so refreshing to see different birds in action, and it was peaceful to be inside (irrespective of the high decibel sound created by the birds).
Below photo is the entrance to Shuka Vana, these are birds made in sand.
Sri Ganapathi Schchidananda Swamiji, founder of Shuka Vana. We have high respect for him, having seen what he has built and how he has built it.
This manmade waterfall is the first thing you will notice once you enter. Peace of mind starts from this point onwards.
Inside Shuka Vana, it is maintained like a mini forest. The entire place is covered with net at a height of about 100 feet from the ground – because of which, the birds are let out of cage in batches and allowed to fly free.
Forest setup through out.
We went near many birds that were let out of cage, all birds were extremely well behaving and did not hurt anyone.
This is an interesting setup. This skywalk is about 40-50 feet from the ground, it is built for moving animals from its treatment center to its residing place. We saw few deers walking in the skywalk.
Feeding time for birds, in the open area.
A section of Shuka Vana.
We were told not to take photos of birds, and hence we stopped taking photos beyond this point.
Right opposite to Shuka Vana is Bonsai Garden, a place that has over 450 Bonsai trees.
Apart from Shuka Vana and Bonsai Garden, there is a Hanuman temple and Balaji temple within the same enclosure.
Must Know Details:
- Entry fees: FREE
- Visiting hours: 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, and 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm. They are very particular about timing, so be there on time.
- Weekly holiday: Wednesday
