The Byculla Zoo, also known as Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, could soon have a white lion, a black jaguar, and a wallaby in attendance as part of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Phase II of the zoo expansion plan.
This BMC-run zoo currently spans 53 acres with the civic body planning to expand this by an additional 10 acres. The agency expects to spend approximately ₹200 crores on this project. The newly created area will be home to animals brought in from across the globe.
Also read - Mumbai's Byculla Zoo To Expand By 10 Acres
The civic body sent out a tender for the design and construction of eight animal enclosures on Wednesday. The enclosures would be home to the black jaguar, cheetah, white lion, wallaby, chimpanzee, ringtail lemur, mandrill monkey and lesser flamingo.
The BMC also re-issued a tender to develop an area showcasing the African Savanna along with an enclosure for the hippopotamus, an aviary for exotic birds including the emu, and landscaping.
Other amenities like CCTV cameras, public utilities and general infrastructure work will be carried out at the site. The BMC withdrew a tender issued in May following technical issues in its online tender system. This meant that the tender had to be reissued.
Interested parties have three months to send in their bids and begin working on the project. Officials said that it should be completed in 21 months after the contracts are awarded to the companies.
The BMC’s plan to get 16 new animals to the zoo was approved by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on February 12, 2019.
Looking towards the future, Phase III of the Byculla Zoo expansion plan will involve bringing animals like black jaguar, chimpanzee, cheetah, giraffe, white lion, oryx, cassowary, ostrich, okapi, ringtail lemur, and zebra to the zoo.
Read - Know All About Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan Or Byculla Zoo
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