Zoo Outreach Organisation is like a "Friends of the Zoo" for South Asian Zoos. Z.O.O. is also like a sort of paramedical squad for zoos to supply them with up-to-date "first aid" materials which are not so easy to obtain in South Asia due to the dreaded red tape, foreign currency inequities and import obstacles! Z.O.O. is a communications service to fill the gaps in information and to provide a liaison between different agencies and institutions that have comparable and compatible interests with zoos, such as universities, wildlife agencies etc. 

Activities :-

1. Z.O.O. publishes two monthly magazines called ZOOS' PRINT and ZOO ZEN. These are primarily for zoo and wildlife professionals but people really fascinated by wildlife, captive breeding and conservation education also are members and subscribers.

2. Z.O.O. used to conduct Status and Management Surveys of different species of wildlife in captivity in Indian zoos to determine the parameters of care so that all the zoos could adopt the practices that work best. 

If we found, as a result of our survey, that something was badly needed for managing a species better, we tried to obtain it for the zoos. Often, information is all that is required. Sometimes, tools, equipment or medicine is required. 

e.g. we arranged donations of ear tags and marking tools for deer, feline distemper vaccine for lesser cats and software for studbooks and animal record keeping and many other items as a result of our surveys. 

Some species which have been surveyed are Lesser Pandas, Vultures, Musk Deer, Lesser cats, Barasingha and Bengal Tiger. Now we no longer do these surveys because Central Zoo Authority is there to do all these things better and, more efficiently than us. We have some reports of the surveys we conducted however, if anyone is interested. Most of them were brought out as an issue of ZOO ZEN, so look in that index. 

3. Z.O.O. conducts promotional campaigns for better visitor behaviour and for highly endangered species using special national and international events as a focus. Funding permitting, during Wildlife week we supply brochures, stickers, t-shirts, stamps and booklets to dozens of zoos for their celebrations. 

For Animal Welfare Fortnightly we supply zoos with stickers, t-shirts, booklets, Do Not Tease or Feed Animals boards for their enclosures and other items to help them conduct a function for a school class or the public. We raise funds from zoos and animal welfare organisations to do these activities.

4. Z.O.O. maintains contact with virtually hundreds of organisations and institutions around the world which need to know about the good work in Indian Zoos. 

Z.O.O. will arrange sponsorship, scholarships and air travel for Indian zoo and wildlife personnel to training courses and symposia all over the world. 

5. ZOO supports several networks, such as the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group's Indian Regional Network, a network of Indian (and now South Asian) amphibian researchers, invertebrate researchers, an Indian Zoo and Natural History History Society and an Asian Regional Network for Zoo Educators.  

6. ZOO is a  partner of some other organisations which support subject or species activities in India. 

5. ZOO is a partner of a wonderful new biological park coming up in Coimbatore called the Nilgiri Biosphere Conservation Park.