Indore: India has entered a new era of technology-driven wildlife experiences with the opening of the country’s first virtual zoo at the Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The facility, inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav on August 16, combines digital technology, immersive cinema and a virtual jungle safari to offer visitors a new way to experience wildlife and nature.
The new attraction includes a 14-D cinema theatre and a virtual jungle safari, both developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model at a cost of around ₹4.5 crore. According to News On AIR, the virtual safari allows visitors to experience forests and wildlife through technology, while the 14-D cinema is designed to provide an immersive movie-watching experience.
Wildlife experience without entering the forest
The virtual jungle safari is designed to take visitors into a digitally created forest environment where wildlife and natural surroundings can be experienced without an actual physical safari. The project aims to make wildlife education more engaging, particularly for children and tourists.
अपने इंदौर का नया दौर !!!
प्रदेश के पहले 14-D चिड़ियाघर के लोकार्पण का अवसर मिला। अब इंदौरवासी तकनीक के जरिए जंगल और वन्यजीवन को करीब से देख और महसूस कर सकेंगे।#ApnaIndore #NayaDaur #14DZoo #Indore #Wildlife #Nature pic.twitter.com/A98d9jkL2Q
— Kailash Vijayvargiya (@KailashOnline) August 16, 2026
The 14-D theatre goes a step beyond conventional cinema by combining visual content with physical effects. Earlier details released by Indore Zoo authorities indicated that the theatre uses VR glasses and multiple special effects, including motion, wind, rain, water sprays and vibrations, to make viewers feel as though they are part of the scenes being shown.
Technology, education and conservation come together
The virtual zoo is not being positioned merely as an entertainment facility. The project is intended to combine technology, education and awareness about wildlife conservation. During the inauguration, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also watched a film in the 14-D theatre along with schoolchildren.
The facility is part of a larger digital experience being developed at the zoo. Earlier reports said the complex would include attractions such as a hologram zoo, digital garden, digital maze and digital experience zone, alongside other visitor facilities. The hologram zoo is designed to display three-dimensional animal images, adding another technology-based dimension to wildlife education.
From proposed project to public attraction
The project had been under development for several months. In June, reports said the 14-D theatre was nearing completion and was being tested before opening. The facility was developed on previously unused land at the zoo under the PPP model.
By July, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav had inspected the completed theatre and described the project as the country’s first 14-D digital zoo. At the time, officials said the facility would be inaugurated in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
With the inauguration now completed, Indore Zoo has added a technology-based attraction that could provide visitors with an alternative to conventional wildlife viewing. The initiative also reflects a growing effort to use immersive digital technology to bring nature and conservation closer to audiences, particularly children and people who may not have access to actual forest safaris.
The key attraction: visitors can now watch wildlife, experience a virtual jungle journey and feel effects such as movement, wind and rain—all within the controlled environment of Indore Zoo.
