Byculla Zoo to receive four Asiatic lions from Junagadh
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed officials to expedite an animal exchange involving two pairs of lions and capuchin monkeys.
Byculla Zoo, also known as Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, is set to receive four Asiatic lions from Junagadh’s Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden. According to a report by Urban Acres, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials to speed up the proposed animal exchange following a meeting with Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.
The proposed arrangement involves Sakkarbaug Zoo providing two male and two female Asiatic lions 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 action on the transfer. Mali instructed the Principal Secretary of the Forest Department to begin the necessary steps, while Patel directed the administration to facilitate a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two zoos.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stated that Byculla Zoo has built an international-standard enclosure for the lions based on the Central Zoo Authority's master layout plan. The civic body is presenting the move as a conservation partnership between Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The BMC is also working on other infrastructure, including a Tunnel Aquarium which Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed officials to complete by January 2027. The next steps for the lion transfer include the issuance of an official approval letter from the Gujarat government and the completion of administrative formalities.