Mulund aviary to be modelled after Singapore bird park

The park will be completed in about 2 years, and it will house 206 birds belonging to 18 regional, exotic, and endangered species, said BMC officials

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in the process of developing a bird park in Mulund that will house exotic species from across the world in enclosures that replicate their native habitats. Once completed, the park – including an interactive facility for awareness programmes, an in-house hospital and a quarantine centre – will serve as a sub-centre to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Byculla.

According to the tender issued by the BMC’s maintenance department on August 28, the park will be developed on a 17,958-square metre plot in Nahur village at an estimated cost of ₹166 crore

“Mumbai will be getting a new aviary in Mulund after 110 years,” said BJP leader and Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha, who was closely involved in pushing the project ahead. “The British had established the first zoo in the city over a century ago. This will be the first bird park to be set up in the city in independent India.”

According to the tender issued by the BMC’s maintenance department on August 28, the park will be developed on a 17,958-square metre plot in Nahur village at an estimated cost of ₹166 crore. While bids are due by September 19, work on the park will be completed in about two years, and it will house 206 birds belonging to 18 regional, exotic, and endangered species, said BMC officials.

“The park will help birds thrive in areas that are similar to their natural habitats. It will have an open plaza with a large waterfall to welcome visitors and host interactive programmes, workshops and lectures by avian experts,” Kotecha said.

Residents of the eastern suburbs, which now have a population of nearly 2.5 million, as well as residents of Navi Mumbai and Thane, would greatly benefit from the park, he said.

“To ensure the project meets global standards, we will be reaching out to Singapore’s renowned Jurong Bird Park for guidance and collaboration,” Kotecha said.

Jurong Bird Park, managed by Mandai Wildlife Reserve, was Asia’s largest such bird park till 2023 when it was relocated to Mandai in Singapore and named Bird Paradise.

A senior official from the Byculla zoo said thematic elements for the proposed park would be drawn from the bird park in Singapore.

“The Byculla zoo, at present, has two aviaries for terrestrial and aquatic birds. But since the number of visitors to the zoo has surged exponentially, we want to develop a suburban facility where footfall can be diverted,” the official said.

According to the tender document, the park will be divided into separate Asian, African, Australian and American zones, each showcasing species specific to the region. Species such as the Red-Breasted Parakeet, Blossom-Headed Parakeet, White Peacock, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Black Swan, Black Munia, Galah Cockatoo, Ostrich, Crowned Pigeon, and Scarlet Macaw are likely to be part of the collection.

In January this year, the estimated cost of the project was pegged at ₹80 crore. When asked about the rise in project cost to ₹166 crore, the Byculla zoo official said the earlier figure was a rough estimate, made before detailed designs were in place.

“The revised cost includes expenses for operations and maintenance, with services such as health management, nutrition, veterinary care, curators, and biologists being outsourced. The provision of parking facilities at the entrance also contributed to the increase,” the official said.