Mumbai zoo to receive four Asiatic lions from Gujarat
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered officials to speed up the administrative process for an animal exchange with Byculla zoo.
The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo in Byculla is set to acquire four Asiatic lions from Junagadh’s Sakkarbaug Zoological Park, according to The Hindu. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to fast-track the paperwork for this animal transfer.
The decision followed a meeting in Gandhinagar between Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde and Patel. During the discussion, Patel instructed the Gujarat administration to finish necessary formalities and begin drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two zoological facilities.
Under the planned arrangement, Sakkarbaug Zoological Park will send two male and two female Asiatic lions to the Byculla facility. In exchange, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will transfer three pairs of tufted capuchin monkeys to the Junagadh zoo.
The BMC stated that a modern enclosure for the lions has been finished at the Byculla zoo, following a master layout plan approved by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
Earlier on Wednesday, Mayor Tawde also met Gujarat Minister of State for Forests Pravinkumar Mali to request the transfer. Mali instructed the principal secretary of the forest department to start the required actions.
While both zoos have agreed to the deal, the BMC is still waiting for a formal approval letter and the draft MoU from the Gujarat government. No specific date has been set for the lions to arrive in Mumbai.