The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan or Byculla zoo recorded the highest revenue at ₹6 lakhs on Sunday, February 23. This comes after the zoo witnessed a major revamp that included adding more exotic animals and India's first walk-through aviary which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
After the renovation, on an average, 6,000 and 12,000 people visited the zoo on weekdays and weekends respectively. But on Sunday, 15,000 people visited the zoo. Previously, the entry fee of the zoo was ₹5 which was then increased to ₹25 for kids and ₹50 for adults by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
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Along with Bengal tigers, the zoo has witnessed an addition of leopards, foxes, hyenas, pond turtles among other animals. There will be ₹1.34 crores green cover to make the Bengal tigers- Karishma and Shakti feel at home who have been bought from Aurangabad's zoo. Out of the total cost, ₹87.31 lakh is for the greenery and ₹20.51 lakh is for maintenance for 13 months. The rest is various taxes which are to be paid. Talking about the same, Superintendent of the zoo Dr. Sanjay Tripathi said that there will be plants like bamboo as it is tiger's favourite plant. The tigers have been quarantined and visitors can expect to see them only by the end of March as the construction of their enclosure is currently underway.
Moreover, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning a new biodiversity facility in the Interpretation Centre at Byculla zoo. This project is estimated to cost the civic body around ₹7 crores. Not only is this zoo located in the centre of the city, but it also has a Grade II heritage tag, making it a popular place for tourists as well as locals.
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