Byculla Zoo to receive four Asiatic lions from Junagadh
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed officials to expedite an animal exchange involving Mumbai's Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo.
Byculla Zoo may soon acquire four Asiatic lions from the Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden in Junagadh, according to a report by Urban Acres. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials to speed up the proposed animal exchange with Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo following a meeting with Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.
The proposed arrangement involves Sakkarbaug Zoo providing two pairs of Asiatic lions, consisting of two males and two females, to the Mumbai facility. In exchange, Byculla Zoo will provide three pairs of tufted capuchin monkeys to the Gujarat-based zoo.
Mayor Tawde met Gujarat Minister of State for Forests Praveenkumar Mali to request the transfer, and Mali instructed the Principal Secretary of the Forest Department to begin necessary steps. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now awaiting a formal approval letter and a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from the Gujarat government.
The BMC stated that Byculla Zoo has built an international-standard enclosure for the lions based on the Central Zoo Authority's approved master layout plan. The civic body is presenting the move as a conservation partnership between Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Separately, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has ordered that construction of the zoo's Tunnel Aquarium be finished by January 2027. The next steps for the lion transfer include the issuance of the Gujarat approval letter and the completion of administrative processes.