LALITPUR, Nepal -- At the stroke of 10 every morning at the only zoo in Nepal, a 41-year-old pelican arrives at the entrance of the animal kitchen, waiting patiently for program officer Ganesh Koirala to arrive.
The pelican knows that with Koirala will come breakfast -- a 2-pound fish.
Inside the busy kitchen, zookeepers wash vegetables and cut meat and fish for the zoo's residents.
The Central Zoo in Kathmandu is home to more than 1,100 animals and 114 species, including Bengal tigers, snow leopards, red pandas, one-horned rhinos and Asian elephants.
More than 15 of 38 local endangered species reside in the zoo, which welcomes around 1 million visitors per year.
The zoo originated in 1932 as the private collection of a ruler, but now it is managed by a government trust and is open to the public.
"When I am on my day off, I cannot stop thinking whether the animals got their food on time. They are like small babies," said Rojina Shrestha, a zookeeper for over a decade.
Some of the animals were brought to the zoo with injuries, were orphaned or were causing a nuisance to communities, Koirala said. But space is limited to accommodate them in the 15-acre site.
Authorities hope to move the zoo to a different location outside the capital, but government resources are limited.
A zookeeper feeds a one horned Rhinoceros at the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 21, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A zoo keeper feeds a Tantalus monkey at the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 21, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A zoo keeper feeds a Mona monkey at the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 21, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Zoo keeper Rojina Shrestha, 35, feeds milk to a baby roe deer at the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 21, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A zoo keeper prepares food for various birds at the animal kitchen inside the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 23, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Food for various animals are kept at the animal kitchen before distributing them inside the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 23, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A zoo keeper mixes vegetable to feed animals at the animal kitchen inside Nepal's Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 21, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Zoo keepers chop fruits and vegetable to feed animals at the animal kitchen inside Nepal's Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, Feb. 21, 2024. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species, including the Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, One-Horned Rhino and the Asian Elephant. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A pelican picks fish from a basket at the animal kitchen in Nepal's Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, Feb. 23, 2024. Inside the busy kitchen, zookeepers wash vegetables and fruits in potassium permanganate and strain out the water from soaked beans and other nutritious grains. Meat and fish are cut, cleaned and weighed for distribution among various carnivores. The only zoo in Nepal is home to more than 1,100 animals of 114 species. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)