Byculla Zoo could soon receive four Asiatic lions from Junagadh’s Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden after Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials to expedite the proposed animal exchange with Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting between Patel and Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde at the Gujarat chief minister’s official residence in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. Tawde sought Gujarat’s approval for transferring the lions to the Mumbai zoo, according to a report by Mid-Day.
Following the meeting, Patel directed the Gujarat administration to complete the required formalities and facilitate a Memorandum of Understanding between Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden and Byculla Zoo. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is expected to receive a formal approval letter and a draft of the MoU from the Gujarat government.
Tawde also met Gujarat Minister of State for Forests Praveenkumar Mali in Gandhinagar and requested action to speed up the transfer. Mali accepted the mayor’s representation and instructed the Principal Secretary of the Forest Department to initiate the necessary steps.
Under the proposed exchange, Sakkarbaug Zoo will provide two pairs of Asiatic lions to Mumbai Zoo, comprising two males and two females. In return, Byculla Zoo will send three pairs of tufted capuchin monkeys to the Gujarat-based zoological garden. The two zoos have already agreed to the proposed exchange, although the report indicates that formal government documentation is still expected.
The BMC has said that Byculla Zoo has already developed an international-standard enclosure for Asiatic lions in accordance with the final approved master layout plan of the Central Zoo Authority in New Delhi. The proposed exchange is being presented by the civic body as a conservation partnership between Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The development comes as the Byculla facility continues work on other visitor and animal-related infrastructure. BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed officials to complete the zoo’s ongoing Tunnel Aquarium construction by January 2027. Bhide inspected the project during a visit to the facility in September and reviewed the zoo’s ongoing initiatives.
The next formal steps are the issue of Gujarat’s approval letter, preparation of the inter-zoo MoU and completion of the administrative process required for the proposed transfer. The report does not specify a date for the lions’ arrival in Mumbai.
