From Jan 26, catch a glimpse of hyenas, sloth bears at zoo

Citizens will soon be able to catch a glimpse of the jackals, hyenas, sloth bears, leopards and at least 100 birds, which were brought to Mumbai in the past eight

Citizens will soon be able to catch a glimpse of the jackals, hyenas, sloth bears, leopards and at least 100 birds, which were brought to Mumbai in the past eight months, at Byculla zoo.

HT Image

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to inaugurate the four animal enclosures and the aquatic bird aviary on January 26, following which these animals will be moved out of quarantine into the viewing area of the zoo.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to inaugurate the enclosures and the aviary.

As part of its zoo expansion plan, the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan at Byculla brought four jackals, a pair of hyenas, a pair of leopards, and two sloth bears to the Mumbai zoo over the past eight months.

The two leopards, a male named Drogone and a female named Pintu, were brought from Pilikula Zoo in Mangalore, along with the two jackals, according to a zoo official. The two Hyenas, a male named Varun, and a female named Sowmya, were brought in from the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru, and the sloth bears were brought from Surat. A senior zoo official said, “The animal enclosures are ready, and the animals will be moved into them soon. However, they have not been formally inaugurated yet.”

The four enclosures are spread over a 4,200-sqm area inside the zoo. The jackals are staying in a 600-sqm enclosure, the hyenas in a 800-sqm space, and the sloth bears are living in in an enclosure spread across 1,200sqm. The leopards are living in a 1,600-sqm enclosure. The special aquatic bird aviary will be able to house at least 100 birds.