Byculla zoo stocks up on its supplies for animals

Amid broken supply chain and delay in getting essential goods, Mumbai’s Byculla zoo has made preparations to keep its animals well-fed by ensuring there will be

Amid broken supply chain and delay in getting essential goods, Mumbai’s Byculla zoo has made preparations to keep its animals well-fed by ensuring there will be no short supply of food.

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The freezers in the zoo are now equipped to store fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables that will be sufficient for 10 to 12 days in case of unavailability of fresh supply if an extended lockdown in implemented in Maharashtra.

Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of the zoo, said, “We can deep freeze food in larger quantities as contingency if the situation worsens. Otherwise animals are fed fresh food.”

Byculla zoo currently houses 300 animals and birds. Tigers, leopard, hyena, and jackal are carnivores who need meat while birds, sloth bear eat fruits, berries and vegetables; and penguins eat fish.

Tripathi said, “During the partial lockdown in early March, the zoo bought two deep freezers of 500-litre capacity each to store meat, fish, vegetables and fruits for our herbivores and carnivores. We already have one deep freezer with 500-litre capacity. This allows the zoo to store food to last 10 to 12 days, in case of emergency.”

Zoo authorities are also disinfecting the food given to animals with a safe solution diluted in water. The food is dipped in this solution for less than a minute and then thoroughly washed with fresh water. There are 20 odd zoo staffers who live on the premises to take care of the animals round the clock.