Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta zoo to get 25-metre solar-powered tower: See city skyline and wild elephants from one spot

Deputy Conservator Surya Sen, who is also the executive director of the Biological Park, said that an old watchtower already exists on the spot, which was the highest point in the zoo.

“You will be able to see the National Park on one side, parts of the Biological Park on the other, nearby villages, as well as the city.”

He also said safety measures were being put in place to ensure that wild elephants in the area do not damage the tower, along with a professional safety audit.

Explaining the conservation angle, Sen said, “We are designing the tower off-grid and completely solar powered while not affecting local flora and fauna. Earlier, we used to go to big cities to see skylines with fascination. Now people will come from the skylines to the forest to see the vastness of the forests…silence and darkness are now luxuries. We want to show the public and especially the younger generations how a forest exists, and how you coexist.”

Writer and philanthropist Rohini Nilekani noted that she has been supporting conservation and biodiversity efforts for the past 30 years. “As a citizen of Bengaluru, Bannerghatta is very important to me. We asked Mr Surya what we could help him with further. Of his list of projects, this one appealed to me the most because it is very public-facing. I want children to come and feel a sense of wonder about the greenery we are so privileged to have around us, and hopefully become trustees of India’s biodiversity,” she added.

Nilekani also expressed the hope that projects like the observation deck would help inculcate curiosity in visitors and a desire to protect nature.