By mid-2019, Mumbaikars visiting the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and zoo will be able to spot lions, hyenas, and blackbucks to name a few in their well-designed enclosures, the zoo officials have assured.
The Byculla zoo has long been criticised for being one of the worst zoo with badly maintained enclosures, zero enrichment, housing very few and that too old animals. The zoo was even termed dead and a cruel place for animals to live. While officials claimed that everything about the zoo, including people's perception about the zoo, will change from next year, it only remains to be seen if their claims hold their ground.
"By mid next year, the enclosures housing jackals, hyenas, lions, the small cat complex, Madras pond turtles, blackbucks, swamp deers, and two bird aviaries will be ready and animals will be introduced in it," said a senior zoo official, adding that they are also expecting all the proposed 17 enclosures to be ready for public viewing by January 2020.
The construction of 17 enclosures in the 53-acre zoo is being carried out in two phases and visitors can expect to see tigers, leopards, and lions apart from other cats along with wolves and other animals and birds found in India along with a dedicated reptile house.
According to Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Director VJB Zoo, they have even finalised animal exchange with various zoos across the country. The Surat zoo has assured them Jackal and otters while Pilikula zoo in Mangaluru has agreed to give leopards and small cats. "The Junagadh zoo in Gujarat has promised us lions, while Lucknow and Kanpur zoo will give us swamp deers and Aurangabad zoo will give us tigers," he said, adding that in exchange, the Byculla zoo will give birds like military macaws, African grey parrots, painted storks and barking deers.
LOOK WHO ALL ARE COMING
Phase I: Jackal, Hyena, Leopard, Otters, Small cat complex, Wolf, Sloth bear, Madras pond turtle, Bird avairy I, Reptile house
Phase II: Lion, Tiger, Swamp deer, Nilgai, Four horned Antelope, Sambhar, Barking deer, Spotted deer, black bucks, Bird aviary II
ZOO FACTS
- Was originally called Victoria gardens hence still referred to as Rani Baugh
- Was earmarked as a botanical garden and was later converted to a zoo
ZOO, BOTANICAL GARDEN OR BOTH
3,000 trees
300 species
ZOO TILL 2005
- Home to at least three species of large cats, including two white tigers, five leopards and three lions
- 2005: Zoo lost both its tigers — Sunny and Supriya and five leopards due to old age
- 2010: Anita the famous lioness died
- 2014: Jimmy, the hybrid lioness born from a cross between an African lion and Indian lioness died and was the last big cat
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Lion")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}