BMC expects to start Byculla Zoo 2nd phase revamp work by November

By Sweety Adimulam | Sep 12, 2017 08:53 am

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is expecting to start the much-awaited second phase revamp work of Veer Jijamata Udyan, popularly known as Byculla Zoo, amounting to Rs.120 crore by November first week. A senior civic officer of BMC claimed that the proposed project includes construction of 17 animal enclosures for the new animals – which include Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, sloth bear, jackal, wolf – which will be brought in from other places.

He added, “In the earlier tender process, pre-bidders were received but due to technicalities the tender was scrapped. Where, re-tendering was done again and we received four interested bidders to take up the work this time. Out of four the lowest bidder would be selected out of them.”

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BMC plans to complete the work by the end of 2017. However, due to delay in tender process the deadline might get extended. “Until the enclosures are not made the animals cannot be brought to the zoo.  Currently, the zoo gets approximately 5,000 visitors on week days and on weekends the number goes upto 10,000.” The proposed plan is designed for 18 Indian species, five exotic species, nine species of mammals, 26 species of birds and six species of reptiles.

Baby hippo named Raksha

Shilpa, a female hippopotamus at Byculla zoo delivered a calf weighing 25 to 30kg in August last year. The team of veterinarians have named the baby hippo Raksha, “Immediately, after the birth it was not possible to ascertain the sex of baby hippo, until the mother is comfortable with the people coming near her. As she has become familiar with the team of doctors we have named the new female baby hippo as Raksha as she was born on the occasion of Rakshabandhan day. If it would have been male then he would have been named as Bandhan,” Sanjay Tripathi Director of Byculla zoo said.The one-year old baby hippo now weights around 150 kilograms while her mother Shilpa weighs in at two tonne. At the zoo, hippopotamus are fed with green grass and a special diet called ‘concentrate ration’ which consists of mixture of wheat bran and soak gram. Tripathi added that as the baby hippo is just a year old now special attention is taken regarding the hygiene. As they love to sit inside the water pool, it is cleaned every alternative day.
http://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/bmc-expects-to-start-byculla-zoo-2nd-phase-revamp-work-by-november/1135675