Mumbai: Three years after scrapping tenders worth Rs 291 crore following allegations of cartelisation and cost escalation in the bids for the construction of the animal enclosures at Byculla zoo, the BMC is set to re-float the tender for creating exhibits for exotic animals like black jaguar, cheetah, and white lion.
These new enclosures, which are part of the zoo expansion plan, will be housed on two plots measuring about 10 acres with a fine dining restaurant nestled between the exhibits. A BMC-appointed consultant has drawn up the design and estimates for the project, and the tenders will be floated soon after approvals, said a civic official.
“We plan to have a restaurant between the exhibits to give visitors a different experience wherein they can enjoy a meal while looking at a cheetah or some other savanna animal in another exhibit,” said the civic oficial. “The expanded area will also have walkways, and landscaped areas. The exhibit areas will be divided into zones and will have continent-based themes such as African, South American, and Australian. The exhibits will have glass on one side for better viewing and wire mesh on the rear side.”
As the exhibits get ready, the BMC will procure the animals one by one. Over the last three months, Byculla zoo has received three blackbucks, three sambar deer, and five spotted deer from Pune zoo as donations.
“People who cannot go to Masai Mara or international zoos or wildlife sanctuaries will get to learn about exotic wildlife at Byculla zoo with these exhibits. There has been qualitative improvement in the zoo and it has become a conservation centre for awareness and education. Byculla zoo has also probably bred the highest number of penguins in captivity,” said Anand Pendharkar, a wildlife biologist and CEO of ecotourism and consulting firm ‘SPROUTS’.