Gharials arrive at Byculla Zoo after five-year wait, via Ranchi exchange

In return, the Mumbai zoo sent eight cockatiels — four white and four grey — to Ranchi, confirmed zoo director Sanjay Tripathi. The exchange, finalised this year after nearly five years of negotiations, aims to revive the zoo’s ageing gharial population, which has been housed in Byculla for nearly four decades

MUMBAI: Four young gharials — fish-eating crocodiles known for their long, slender snouts — have found a new home in the ‘Croc Trail’ section of Byculla Zoo. The juveniles, under four years old and about two feet long, were brought from the Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi, Jharkhand, as part of a long-awaited animal exchange programme.

Mumbai, India - June 26, 2025: 4 new Gharials of 6 to 8 years have been brought from Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi as a part of the animal exchange program to Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, at Byculla in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

In return, the Mumbai zoo sent eight cockatiels — four white and four grey — to Ranchi, confirmed zoo director Sanjay Tripathi. The exchange, finalised this year after nearly five years of negotiations, aims to revive the zoo’s ageing gharial population, which has been housed in Byculla for nearly four decades.

“The existing gharials are too old to breed, so we requested new ones,” said a civic official. The young arrivals completed a 40-day quarantine on Wednesday, following a road journey from Ranchi in specially designed enclosures. The cockatiels were transported in small cages, while the gharials travelled in a large customised container.

The gharials have now joined the 1,500-square-metre ‘Croc Trail’ enclosure — a habitat designed to mimic natural conditions, located between the turtle pond and aquatic bird section. A public viewing deck overlooks the area, which also houses three mature crocodilians.

Native to river systems in India and Nepal, gharials are classified as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Their diet is almost exclusively fish, which they capture with their sharp, pointed jaws.

The gharials are the latest additions to the zoo’s expanding collection, arriving three months after three blackbucks were donated by the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj, Pune. The antelopes, currently housed in the Rose Garden under green tarpaulin covers, have yet to be displayed to the public.

“They’re still young and adjusting to the new environment. Though bred in captivity, they’re wary of human presence,” an official said. “Once they grow comfortable with regular staff, they’ll be moved to the viewing area.”

As of March 31, 2025, the zoo houses 75 mammals of 10 species, 259 birds of 13 species, and 56 reptiles across eight species. More exchange proposals have been sent out to bring in diverse animal species, zoo officials said.