Byculla zoo gets two tigers from Aurangabad

Two tigers, aged around three-and-a-half years from Aurangabad, are the newest entrants at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, also known as the Byculla Zoo. The tigers reached Byculla zoo late at night on Wednesday from the Siddharth Garden and Zoo.

However, according to zoo officials both the tigers will be made available for public display only after a month.

The Byculla zoo received the tigers in exchange for exotic birds and a pair of deer from the Aurangabad zoo.

The tigers will be kept in enclosure which replicates the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. HT had reported on January 14 that zoo authorities feel replicating conditions of Ranthambore in the city will be a practical option since the national park has a dense population of tigers and had planned to develop flora, fauna, landscape and terrain in the 3,500 square-metre tiger enclosure that replicates the conditions in Ranthambore.

A Byculla zoo official said, “We are preparing the enclosure, which will be ready in a month. The tigers will be kept for public viewing at the enclosure once it is ready.”

Under the zoo’s extension facility, officials have proposed to develop a zone exclusive for exotic animals such as giraffe, zebra, white lion, jaguar this year.