ONE OF the oldest zoos in the country, the VeermataJijabaiBhosale Zoological Park, more commonly known as Byculla zoo, located in Ranibagh has long been in need of a makeover, which can restore its lost glory.

With the recent addition of eight Humboldt penguins last month, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has drawn up an elaborate plan to ensure that the Byculla zoo turns into a major tourist attraction in the next 18 months.

The Rs 150-crore renovation project is expected to take off in less than a month’s time and will be completed over the next two years. The zoo, which was established in 1892, is currently spread over 53 acres in the heart of Mumbai. Apart from the renovation work, the BMC will also expand the zoo premises and is in the process of acquiring an adjoining 7-acre plot to set up an African Savannah. “We are trying to get the additional 7 acres so that we can bring exotic animals such as giraffe, ostrich and zebras. However, the proposal is still pending with the Central Zoo Authority,” said Sanjay Tripathi, Director, Byculla Zoo.

The BMC is also in the process of buying a 4-acre land adjoining the existing premises, which currently belongs to an ice factory.

On the anvil are guided tours on a daily basis and an interpretation facility that can serve as an interactive tool to engage with the visitors.

“The interpretation facility will have an exhibition area where photographs of wildlife can be displayed among other interactive activities.

We will also have an audio visual room where we plan to organize events on a regular basis,” said Tripathi. In the current scenario, there are no guides to show the visitors around. However if someone requests for one, one of the education officials accompanies the visitors.

The Byculla zoo has an existing daily average of 3,500 visitors on weekdays and up to 8,000 on weekends. “We used to have a lot more animals earlier. But the number of visitors have dropped over the past years since the zoo no longer has the major attractions like lion and tiger. Since we were abiding by the Bombay High Court’s directions of drawing up a master plan, we were not able to acquire the animals sooner. However, we are now ready to bring other animals using the proposed exchange system in which zoos can exchange animals if they have a surplus of other animals,” said Tripathi.

Even though the zoo has the capacity to host over 500 animals at a time, currently, there are around 130 animals mostly comprising a large variety of birds.