Anna Zoological Park popularly known as Vandalur Zoo is a few kilometers away from the city of Chennai, spread over a sprawling area of 602 hectares.It is one of the largest zoo in south East Asia .

Arignar Anna Zoological Park of Chennai was first established in 1855. But it was shifted to the southern part of the city called Vandalur reserved forests in the year 1979. The Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai was officially opened to public in 1985 and since then it is popularly known as Vandalur Zoo by the local people.

Vandalur Zoo is one of the most contemporary zoos in India as well as the whole South East Asia. The Zoological park is home to more than 170 species of animals that wander about independently in a man-made island enclosure. The vegetation of the zoological park is dry evergreen forests. The existing vegetation was scrub forests invaded by weeds and gradually due to sustained efforts it has been enriched by planting dry evergreen species. In some places there are some cashew and Eucalyptus trees. About 138 plant species are found in the area. It was so planned in early stages that the natural vegetation of the area was to be kept intact except where the enclosures, roads and structures had to be constructed.

The Anna Zoological Park maintains a viable population of threatened and endangered species of the Western and the Eastern Ghats. The Zoo plays the role of Species Bank and Gene Bank for a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is an Educational Center and offers tremendous scope for Eco-awareness and conservation education to the public. It serves as a site for basic and applied research on many aspects like animal behavior, nutrition, ecology, biology,diseases and contributes significantly in conservation of Bio-diversity. The Zoo has the scientific and technical facilities for propagation and introduction of endangered species to its original habitat.

Vandalur Zoo is open to general public throughout the year. The zoo is closed on Tuesday.The local people throng the place during festive season, especially Pongal. A visit to Vandaur Zoo is a must in a city tour of Chennai.