Thiruvananthapuram Zoo occupies an area of about 55 acres of land comprising lakes, lawns and woodlands. It was established in 1857 by the Maharaja of Travancore. It was built with typical iron barred cages originally. Later the goal of the zoo became conservation of wildlife rather than having it for recreational purposes and the animals were shifted to spacious naturalistic enclosures in 1995.

There are more than 82 species of animals here including Asiatic lion, royal Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, Nilgiri langur, hippos, zebras, Asian elephants and giraffes, etc. There is also a snake farm within its premises that houses both poisonous and non-poisonous snakes.