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Anaconda: Out of movies, soon at a zoo near you
Mumbaiites will soon get a peek of the longest and the heaviest species known to man at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Byculla zoo).
Mumbaiites will soon get a peek of the longest and the heaviest species known to man at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Byculla zoo).
For the very first time, the authorities in the city’s only zoo is likely to house an anaconda in its enclosure. The zoo is planning to construct a reptile house for the purpose, where 20 other snake species will also be kept in enclosures.
The zoo’s reptile house structure has been proposed before the Central Zoo Authority for final approval.
Byculla zoo director Sanjay Tripathi has confirmed the development. “We are expecting to house 21 species, including the anaconda. Once the house gets an approval, we will start bringing the reptiles to the zoo,” he said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which looks after the zoo, has planned to build the reptile house on a ground-plus-one structure at an estimated cost of ₹8 crore. The authorities are planning to construct the reptile house near the hippopotamus enclosure on a 1,500-square metre area.
Apart from the anaconda, the authorities will also bring the Monitor Lizard for the first time to the zoo. The zoo is planning to get the Indian Rock Python, Reticulated Python, Indian Cobra, Rat Snake, Trinket Snake, Red Sand Boa and Common Sand Boa, among other species to the reptile house.
The snakes will either be procured or exchanged with another zoo. The reptile house is a part of the phase-2 of the zoo’s ₹120-crore revamp and expansion plan. The BMC intends to construct animal enclosures, along with enclosures for reptiles and birds and boundaries for security.