International experts to help build homes for exotic animals at Mumbai’s Byculla zoo

International zoo experts will help BMC construct enclosures for the new exotic species which will be housed at the Byculla zoo. The move is a part of the ₹200-crore expansion plan for the zoo.

On Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) floated tenders calling for bids to conceptualise, design, and construct 15 animal enclosures at a cost of ₹200 crore on the seven-acre plot adjacent to the zoo which was recently acquired from Mafatlal Industries.

The enclosures will be constructed for cassowary, emu, ostrich, lesser flamingo, black jaguar, cheetah, white lion wallaby, okapi, ring tail lemur, mandrill, monkey, chimpanzee, African Savanna mix, and hippopotamus. The enclosures will be made specially to match the needs of the exotic species, which are used to different temperatures and climates.

The qualifying criteria for bidders requires them to have a memorandum of understanding with an international zoo expert, who understands the special needs of the exotic species. The expert will work as a consultant with the bidder, who is also required to specialise in civil construction work.

Earlier in 2017, a civil construction work contractor who had bagged the contract to construct Penguin enclosures at the zoo, had claimed to have a tie-up with an American firm specialising in handling aquatic species. However, BMC later discovered the documents submitted by the bidder were forged. The BMC had then scrapped the contract, and refloated tenders.

“BMC will maintain transparency during the tendering process, and scrutinise all documents of the bidders,” a senior civic official said.

Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of Byculla zoo said, with this move, work on the third phase of the expansion of the zoo has begun. “The total number of animal enclosures in the zoo will go up to 32. Phase-3 of the work includes building an aviary for exotic bird species,” he added.

In the first phase, BMC had brought eight Humboldt Penguins to the zoo. The second phase which is presently underway includes construction of 17 animal enclosures in the 53-acre zoo premises. The third phase includes construction of the 15 enclosures for exotic animal species in the adjoining plot.