Mumbai’s Juhu Beach Welcomes Pet-Friendly Park
In a significant development for Mumbai’s urban landscape, the Juhu Beach has now become home to the city’s first dedicated pet park. Located just opposite the Novotel Hotel, this space offers a much-needed facility for pet lovers and their companions, encouraging responsible pet ownership and providing a safe, recreational zone for animals.
The park was inaugurated by prominent filmmaker and social activist Ashoke Pandit, alongside local BJP MLA Ameet Satam, who spearheaded the project. Satam revealed that the park had been built using his constituency’s funds, marking a major achievement for the Juhu region, which has long struggled with inadequate open spaces for pets. The park is part of a broader initiative to expand green spaces across the city, which has already seen improvements in the surrounding areas, including the development of six other gardens along Juhu Beach.
One of the most notable features of the park is its transformation. Once a BMC garden prone to misuse and anti-social activities, it has now been revamped into a well-maintained and pet-friendly environment. Satam expressed his delight at the outcome “Over the last decade, I have developed over 60 gardens in Andheri (West), and the need for a dedicated pet park became increasingly evident. With this park, we’ve fulfilled a long-standing demand from local residents, providing pets with a safe environment to play and socialise.”
The establishment of the park comes at a time when urban India is grappling with a lack of dedicated spaces for animals. Mumbai, with its ever-growing pet population, has seen rising calls for more pet-friendly spaces, especially in crowded locales like Juhu, where open areas for pets have been few and far between. This initiative signals a broader shift towards creating inclusive spaces for animals within urban planning. As residents and pet owners look to capitalise on the park, the project highlights the increasing focus on making Mumbai a more pet-friendly city, enriching the quality of life for both pets and their owners. The park promises to become a central hub for socialising, exercise, and relaxation, and could inspire similar initiatives across other parts of the city.
