Mumbai: An Right to Information (RTI) has revealed that approximately 275 animals have died at Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo over the past six years. However, zoo authorities claim that such deaths are not unusual, attributing them primarily to natural causes such as aging or conflicts between animals.
Godfrey Pimenta, founder of the Watchdog Foundation, had filed a RTI request seeking details about animal births and deaths at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo at Byculla.
The zoo authorities revealed that between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025, a total of 286 birds, mammals, and reptiles were born, while 275 animals died during the same period. According to the data, 41 animals died at the Byculla Zoo between April 2024 and March 31, 2025, including three Humboldt penguins.
The most common causes of death were cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. One of the notable losses during this period was the zoo's last elephant, Anarkali, aged 58, who passed away on November 10, 2024, due to cardiorespiratory failure. Following her death, and in adherence to the Central Zoo Authority's (CZA) current guidelines prohibiting the housing of elephants in urban zoos, the Byculla Zoo has decided not to acquire any new elephants.
Currently, Byculla Zoo houses 388 animals including mammals, birds, and reptiles within its 53-acre premises. The BMC plans to expand the zoo by an additional 10 acres, with seven acres from the Mafatlal Compound and the rest from the Poddar area.
Recently, four gharials were brought in from Ranchi Zoo and added to the crocodile enclosure. These rare and endangered reptiles are now on display, offering visitors a unique opportunity to witness them up close.
Over the past six years at Byculla Zoo, several species have seen population shifts. Notable declines include Budgerigars (35 to 0), Night Herons (96 to 42), Barking Deer (19 to 10), Spotted Deer (25 to 12), Golden Jackals (5 to 2), Marsh Crocodiles (6 to 1), and Indian Flapshell Turtles (13 to 6). However, there have been increases in Cockatiels (17 to 83), Royal Bengal Tigers (2 to 4), and Humboldt Penguins (7 to 21).
