Mumbai News: Byculla Zoo To Transform Elephant Anarkali’s Former Enclosure Into New Animal Exhibits With Thailand Firm's Help

The BMC is set to revamp a 4,000 sq metre plot at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo in Byculla, previously home to Anarkali—the zoo’s last remaining elephant, who passed away in November last year. Since her death, the enclosure has remained unused. The Zoo Authorities have now approached a Thailand-based firm to design a fresh, state-of-the-art layout for the area. The redesigned enclosure is expected to house new animal exhibits.

Anarkali, who was 58 years old, had lived at the zoo for nearly five decades. Following her death, the Byculla Zoo, in line with the current guidelines from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) that prohibit the housing of elephants in urban zoos, will not be bringing in any new elephants. Instead, zoo authorities are planning to repurpose the area for other animal exhibits. 

To bring this vision to life, the zoo has approached HKS Consultants, a Thailand-based firm known for its expertise in zoo planning and design. The new layout will be tailored to house species selected from the list approved by the CZA. The proposed redesign may include multiple enclosures within the same area—potentially transforming the former elephant enclosure into a habitat for several species.

The zoo authorities are still awaiting a response from the firm. In the meantime, once the tender for a new exotic zone on 10-acre is confirmed, redevelopment designs will move forward. “We will make further decisions based on the final design proposal and submit it to the CZA for approval,” said an official. 

The tender for this new zone, located next to the existing 53-acre facility, is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The zone will showcase animals such as cheetahs and white lions, offering visitors an incredible experience. Visitor numbers at the zoo dropped by 21% in a year, from 28.97 lakh in 2023-2024 to 23.57 lakh in 2024-2025.

This is a decrease from 2022-2023, when nearly 30 lakh people visited, generating Rs 11.59 crore in revenue. Officials believe the drop is due to the lack of new exhibits.