‘Wait.. I am coming soon’: Byculla zoo’s lion exhibit patiently awaits the big cat’s return

The Mumbai zoo has been bereft of a lion since 2014 when Jimmy, the 16-year-old African-Asiatic hybrid, died due to prolonged illness. Born at the Byculla zoo to African lion Amar and Asiatic lioness Anita in 1998, Jimmy was the last of the zoo’s lions and a star attraction among visitors.

Following Jimmy’s demise, the civic body had launched a revamp of its lion enclosure as a part of its ongoing phase-wise expansion project which had been initiated in 2015.

However, even as the revamp of the facility was completed two years ago, the zoo is yet to procure new lion residents. “Our lion facility has been readied since 2022. We have written to several zoos to procure a new pair of lions under the CZA’s exchange programme. However, most zoos either have a single pair of lions or have medical concerns owing to which they have been unable to spare them,” said an official privy to the developments.

“Furthermore, the Byculla zoo also does not have any animals to offer under the exchange programme,” the official added. While the Byculla zoo has launched programmes to swap Humboldt penguins with other animals and birds, the exchange proposal has found no takers from zoos across the country owing to high cost of operation and maintenance incurred in the upkeep of the penguin enclosure.

Now, in a renewed attempt, the civic body has approached the PCCF (Gujarat) requesting the body to donate a pair of Asiatic lions, which the state’s zoos house in excess.

“Over a month back, we wrote to the PCCF (Gujarat) requesting for a transfer of Asiatic lions. Currently, the zoos in Gujarat such as Junagadh and Rajkot have excess lions and therefore, we have floated a request for the donation of a pair of Asiatic lions. But we are aiming for the transfer of at least one lion for display purposes. The procurement of the new lions is a key agenda for the zoo this year,” said a senior official.

In its heyday, officials recalled, the Byculla zoo was home to over 8 – 10 lions including some Asiatic lions alongside African-Asiatic hybrid lions. Recently, the senior authorities of Byculla zoo also convened meetings with the civic chief Bhushan Gagrani to discuss the agenda of fastracking the lions’ procurement.