Pet park near Kerala's Munnar is a haven for animal lovers

Pet startups enjoyed a fabulous rise when many others showed a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the same industry nosedived soon after the world opened up during the post-COVID period. The increase in production, seeing the heightened demand during COVID-19, backfired when people started getting rid of their pets as they returned to offices.

However, the universal belief that new ideas are born out of crisis became true for this industry, too. From this predicament came up the idea of private pet parks. Many private pet parks nationwide have opened in the last three or four years. A few youngsters with an extensive collection of rare pets saw an incredible opportunity to earn income by exhibiting their beloved animals. The immense popularity that small pet parks enjoyed in the beginning inspired many to invest in such startups and businesses.

Pet parks open up amazing opportunities for pet startups focused on breeding and selling. The Flora and Fauna, started by six youngsters near Adimali in Idukki, is one of the biggest pet parks in Kerala. The park, sprawled over four acres in 10th Mile, is home to some of the rarest fauna. They took the concept of farm tourism a notch up by growing exotic fruit trees while offering homes to rare animals.

Fruits and birds
Adimali native Binu K Thomas, one of the owners of Flora and Fauna, vows that the unique idea of a pet park inspired him to invest in this field. They were sure there wouldn’t be any dearth of visitors if the park was opened on the way to Munnar, one of the prominent tourist destinations in the state. He and his friends KA Binu, Sijo James, Sajith, Ullas and Ajeeb visited countless pet parks inside and outside Kerala to study their feasibility.

Their initial idea was to open a pet park with animals, birds and reptiles. It was pretty unexpected that they turned to fruit farming. They were determined to include flora and fauna in their park, which opened in the Western Ghats. Landscaping has been done by catering to the natural layout of the land. In the first phase, more than 150 foreign varieties of plants were grown at the farm. These plants and trees bear labels with their names and their place of origin. The visitors could read about the plants in detail by scanning the QR code on the labels.

The plants are grown in plastic air pots that allow the roots to self-prune. KA Binu, a partner, says the park attained exceptional growth within one and a half years. Around 50 per cent of the trees, including the apple trees, have started bearing fruit. The fruit orchard covers one and a half acres and has been covered entirely with a mulching sheet. This prevents the growth of weeds, and the visitors can comfortably walk around.

World of pets
Lately, the concept of ‘pet experience’ has been gaining immense popularity. This allows people to feed the animals, hold them and shower them with love. Visitors can feed the koi carp fish and touch the conure parrots. The more courageous ones can hold snakes, put them around their neck, or even touch the iguanas. Various types of macaws, cockatoos, ornamental hens, dwarf goats, nattukadai goats from Tamil Nadu, Fennec fox and Palawan peacock pheasant are some of the animals at Flora and Fauna. You can also enjoy horse riding here.

Another interesting addition is miniature cattle from the Nadipathi farms owned by Krishnam Raju in Andhra Pradesh. This variety of cattle, produced by a unique breeding method, is just one or two feet tall. Three such cows have been brought here from the famous farm in Andhra. A single miniature cow costs around Rs 3 lakh.

The skywalk joining the giant trees in the middle of the pet park is a popular feature here. Besides, resting spaces too have been arranged at the park for the visitors to relax. Besides, a single-bedroom treehouse is also arranged for those who are interested in spending the night in the park.

“Pet parks would be helpful for small scale pet startups. New and unique varieties of pets should be purchased from breeders if you need to make your pet park stand out. Besides, the employment opportunities created by such enterprises is an added benefit. Flora and Fauna provides employment to more than 50 workers,” says Binu K Thomas.

Flora and Fauna, located on the way to Munnar, has become a favourite spot for tourists. Meanwhile, Binu observes that such pet parks and startups have amazing scope at any part of the state. People were trapped within the small screen of mobile phones during the pandemic, but, now they wish to get out and experience nature. Most of the visitors come to the pet park to spend some time with the animals and also to destress from their hectic schedules. Binu says that adults are curious to see around the farm and enjoy the experience better than children.
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