Hyderabad Botanical Garden to Launch VR Wildlife Safari

Hyderabad: Exploring forests and wildlife without leaving the city. Sounds comfy, and engaging? It is now possible thanks to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Hyderabad’s Botanical Garden will offer the experience at its virtual wildlife safari section, combining nature and technology into a fascinating experience, from December 4.

The adventure begins with the much-talked-about VR Safari Tour. The safari bus will carry 10 people through a 3-km route, with the visitors wearing VR glasses and experiencing a true-blue safari trip.

L. Ranjeet Nayak, executive director, Telangana Forest Development Corporation, said the environments were shot in-real life safaris, but the animals were 3D models and placed at different locations of the ride.

The Kids’ AR Library will certainly bring out the inner child in the visitors. One of the activities lets kids colour animals, and then use a tablet to scan their artwork. The scanned images transform into 3D animals that looked exactly as the kids had coloured them.

Another interactive feature involved animal cards. By scanning the cards, lifelike 3D animations of the animals appeared on the tablet.

The library also had an AR Zoo feature. Pointing the tablet at pictures of animals displayed around the place brought up their 3D models, and children can click pictures with the 3D rendition of their favourite animal.

One of the most intriguing parts was the plant sound experience. The library used special tools to pick up the electrical signals of plants and convert them into sounds. Listening to plants “singing” was surreal.

The VR kayaking experience has a kayak was placed in a tub of water. With VR glasses on, the visitor can ‘paddle’ through a virtual river surrounded by lush greenery. The management had set up screens for others to share the experience.

The VR building is divided into four sections, each offering something different. The first section, Guardians of Wild Tribal Life and Waterfalls, takes the visitors on a 360° tour of Telangana’s waterfalls, like Bogatha, Kuntala and Pochera falls, while also showcasing the lives of local tribal communities. Their traditions and culture were beautifully captured, making the viewer feel a part of their lives and among them.

Another section explores the Eastern and Western Ghats. From reptiles to majestic landscapes, the VR experience brought these regions to life. Visitors get to experience five diverse environments, including the International Space Station (ISS), Antarctica, and the ocean.

The visit ends with the 9D Cinema. A short film about dinosaurs had the platform moving, and air and water hitting the visitors to match the visuals. All that was missing was the sharp bite of the T.rex.

Executive director Ranjeet Nayak described these attractions as a fun way to learn about Telangana’s rich forests. The entire experience wasn’t just fun – it was a learning joyride.