Leopard enclosure at Byculla zoo to be open to public soon

Come November, Mumbaiites will be able to visit the newest residents of Byculla zoo — a pair of leopards — as the zoo authority has confirmed that the specialised enclosure being constructed for the two big cats will be ready for use by the end of October. Following this, the leopard enclosure will be open to for viewing by the public.

The Byculla zoo had brought in a pair of leopards from Mangaluru’s Pilikula Zoo, along with a pair of jackals on April 28 this year, as part of the ongoing revamp.

The leopards are currently at the zoo but are not available for public viewing considering their permanent enclosure is still under construction.

“By October end we are expecting the enclosure to be ready for use, and we will put the leopards for public display soon after. We are also anticipating getting two pairs of lions from Gujarat [Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden or Junagadh zoo] by October end,” said Sanjay Tripathi, director of Byculla zoo.

“Currently the enclosure for the two pairs of lions is ready. We are in the process of getting two pairs of zebras which are to be given to Junagadh zoo in exchange of the lions. Once these animals are added to the display, we anticipate the number of visitors will go up,” said Tripathi.

According to authorities, Byculla zoo is currently earning around ₹7 crore annually through operational income, however, the operational expenditure is around ₹20 crore. Due to this, the zoo is not able to break even.