3 min readMumbaiJan 7, 2024 09:48 AM IST
First published on: Jan 6, 2024 at 07:42 PM IST
Christmas week did not bring much cheer for Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Vanaspati Udyan and Zoo (Ranibaug) with visitors’ footfall falling by 17 per cent during the last week of the year, which is among its busiest periods. Despite this, the Byculla zoo welcomed over 30 lakh visitors in 2023, generating a revenue of Rs 11.77 crore between January and December. This is a significant rise from 2022, when 25.69 lakh people visited the zoo.
According to senior officials, the city’s sole botanical garden-zoo has seen an uptick in visitors since the past two years owing to the launch of its ambitious revamp project.
While in 2022, 1,77,246 people visited the zoo between December 25 and January 1, this year, the number dipped to 1,45,593, during the same period. Annual statistics however painted a positive picture.
Data from civic officials showed that in 2023, between January and December, over 30 lakh people visited with the maximum footfall recorded in May, when a record-breaking 4.5 lakh people visited the zoo.
For the record, in the financial year of 2022 (between April and March), 28.59 lakh people visited the Byculla zoo, generating an income of Rs. 11.15 crore.
Spread across approximately 53 acres, there has been an increase in visitors since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched its revamp plan, which was first initiated in 2015.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Sanjay Tripathi, director of the zoo said, “Our revamp project is definitely the biggest reason for the increase in visitors. Apart from excellent facilities and clean premises, the tiger and hyena exhibits have gained a lot of traction. Even the bird paradise exhibit, which was launched a few years ago, appeals to people greatly.”
“This year, we also opened the ‘Croc Trail’ which is an underwater viewing gallery of crocodiles and gharials. In the past two years, we have introduced many new exhibits. Therefore, more people have been visiting the zoo,” he added.
Data showed that prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, during which the zoo was shut, only 10.6 lakh people visited between April 2019 to March 2020 while, between 2018 and 2019, there were 12.7 lakh visitors.
In a bid to further enhance the zoo, the civic body has now launched phase III of its revamp project. Having acquired seven acres of land including the Mafatlal Compound and the rest in the Poddar area, the expansion plan proposes to create a special “exotic zone” housing exotic animals such as giraffes, zebras, jaguars, white lions, wallabies and chimpanzees.
As part of the first phase, a 1,800-square-foot exhibit of Humboldt penguins was added to the zoo in 2017. Phase II, which launched in 2017, saw the construction of 17 animal exhibits as well as an aviary, which today houses over 100 bird species.
People queue up to enter the Byculla Zoo in Mumbai. (PTI) 
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