Byculla zoo set to get two pairs of Asiatic lions from Gujarat’s Sakkarbaug Zoo

However, the proposed exchange is yet to be finalised. In its communication, Sakkarbaug zoo said the animals listed in Mumbai zoo’s surplus inventory were already available in adequate numbers at its facility, while penguins did not fit into its animal collection plan

MUMBAI: The city’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Byculla has moved a step closer to bringing Asiatic lions back to the city after Gujarat’s Sakkarbaug Zoological Park gave its in-principle approval to transfer four lions under a proposed animal exchange programme.

Mumbai, India - October 04, 2023: School children passing near a empty Lions cage on the occasion of the World Animal day, at Byculla Zoo in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, October 04, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

In a letter dated May 6 addressed to Byculla zoo director Sanjay Tripathi, the Junagadh-based Sakkarbaug zoo said it was agreeable to providing two male and two female Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica), subject to approvals from the competent authorities and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

The development follows efforts by Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawde, who had written to Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel on February 25 requesting two pairs of Asiatic lions for the city zoo. Tawde had urged the Gujarat government to consider the transfer as a goodwill gesture, noting that Sakkarbaug houses the country’s largest population of captive Asiatic lions.

However, the proposed exchange is yet to be finalised. In its communication, Sakkarbaug zoo said the animals listed in Mumbai zoo’s surplus inventory were already available in adequate numbers at its facility, while penguins did not fit into its animal collection plan.

Instead, the Gujarat zoo has sought either two pairs of giraffes, one pair of Indian one-horned rhinoceroses, or three pairs of capuchin monkeys from the Byculla zoo in exchange for the lions.

Officials said the exchange programme would be carried out strictly under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and guidelines issued by the Central Zoo Authority. The transfer would also require veterinary clearances, quarantine procedures, transport approvals and other statutory permissions before the animals can be moved.

The Sakkarbaug zoo administration has asked the Mumbai zoo authorities to communicate their consent and initiate the formalities required for processing the proposal before the competent authorities.

The letter also expressed hope for continued cooperation between the two zoos in the areas of wildlife conservation and zoo management.