The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has opened the Vanyavani Wildlife Festival 2026 at Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Byculla, offering visitors a weeklong programme of exhibitions, workshops, lectures and wildlife documentaries during National Wildlife Week.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde inaugurated the festival on Thursday. The programme has been organised by the BMC in association with the Vanyavani Foundation and is centred on the theme “Connecting Habitats, Thriving Wildlife”.
The festival is intended to introduce visitors, students and nature enthusiasts to wildlife conservation and the importance of protecting natural habitats. Information exhibitions at the zoo feature photographs, panels and scientific specimens explaining conservation initiatives and the challenges facing wildlife.
Participating organisations include the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mangrove Foundation, Jane Goodall Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Seed Stories, Green Work Trust, Srushtidnyan, Godrej, Asar, Climate Culture Collective, Aranya Project Mumbai and Vanbhashi. The organisers said the displays are designed to give visitors access to information about wildlife and environmental conservation work being carried out by different institutions.
Daily workshops are being conducted for students and visitors, while expert lectures and wildlife documentaries have also been scheduled. Schools and colleges are among the key groups being encouraged to attend the activities. The programme is also intended to promote greater public awareness of wildlife and sensitivity towards the habitats that support it.
The inauguration was attended by the zoo’s Deputy Director Dr Komal Raul, Veterinary Officer Dr Devanand Shirsat and Biologist Dr Abhishek Satam. Tawde appealed to students, researchers and nature enthusiasts to participate in the exhibitions, workshops, lectures and other activities planned during the festival.
The Byculla zoo is among India’s oldest zoos and houses a range of animals and birds. According to the BMC, its work includes scientific conservation conducted in accordance with Central Zoo Authority guidelines and the National Zoo Policy, 1998. Public education is also a stated part of the zoo’s role.
The festival places that education function alongside the zoo’s conservation activities, using a municipal public institution to connect visitors with wildlife organisations, habitat protection and environmental research. The scheduled programme will continue through the week as part of National Wildlife Week.
