New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Maintaining zoos is getting a costly affair, and so would visiting exotic animals and rare birds in their enclosure in Delhi. The capital's zoo has just hiked th entry fee for visitors from Rs.20 to Rs.40. Foreign nationals will have to pay Rs.200 against Rs.100 as at present.

Tickets for children will be priced at Rs.20 instead of Rs.10.

"The new fees will come into effect from April 1. We decided to increase the fees as the maintenance cost of the zoo has increased. If the entry fees are doubled, the revenue of the zoo will increase. Moreover, in April, due to summer holidays, there is increased footfall at the zoo," Delhi Zoo curator Riaz Khan told IANS.

The entry fee was last revised in 2010.

"Apart from the increase in fees, visitors who carry cameras, which were free earlier, will now have to pay Rs.50 for shooting. As for video cameras, the fee will remain Rs.1,000. But those engaged in filmmaking will have to pay a hefty Rs.20,000," Khan said.

The zoo, which was established in 1959, is spread over an area of 214 acres, skirting the Purana Qila that dates back to Sher Shah Suri, a pre-Mughal king, and according to Hindu mythology was the fortress built by the Pandavas. The zoo is home to more than 2,000 species of animals and birds from across the world.