Mumbai mayor writes to Gujarat CM seeking two pairs of Asiatic lions from state for city zoo

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has written a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, requesting his government to provide two pairs of Asiatic lions for the city zoo as a goodwill gesture, officials said.

In the letter written on February 25, Tawde urged the Gujarat government to facilitate the transfer of two male and two female lions to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, which is popularly known as Ranibaug, in Byculla area of Mumbai.

As per the letter, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has completed Phase I of the zoo's modernisation project, which includes facilities such as the Humboldt penguin exhibit, internal gardens, ticketing office, animal hospital, quarantine area and other civic amenities.

Under Phase II of the project, new enclosures and habitats have been created for several animals, including Asiatic lions, tigers, sloth bears, hyenas, leopards, spotted deer and birds.

The mayor said the lion enclosure has been specially designed on the theme of Maldhari settlements near the Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat and includes caves, water facilities, resting shelters, machans and dense plantation, along with an acrylic viewing gallery for visitors.

As per the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority, the zoo had earlier proposed obtaining Asiatic lions from Sakkarbaug Zoo in Junagadh on an exchange basis.

A proposal approved in March 2019 envisaged the exchange of two pairs of lions in return for animals and birds, including zebra, cockatiels, night herons and a hornbill, the letter said.

However, the exchange could not materialise as the required zebras were not available, leaving the Asiatic lion enclosure at the Mumbai zoo vacant since its construction, it said.

The mayor said the civic body has been following up on the matter for the past four to five years and requested Patel to intervene so that Mumbaikars get to see lions at the zoo. PTI KK NP