Mumbai: Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel requesting the allotment of two pairs of Asiatic lions for the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Byculla.

In her letter, Tawde urged the Gujarat government to send lions for the zoo, where a specially built enclosure has remained vacant for several years despite being ready.

The lion habitat has been designed to replicate Maldhari settlements near Kutch and the Gir forest region, featuring mud houses, thatched roofs, spacious caves, water facilities, shaded resting areas, elevated platforms, dense plantation for privacy, and an acrylic-glass viewing gallery for visitors.

Earlier, the zoo had proposed an animal exchange with Sakkarbaug Zoo in Junagadh in March 2019, offering zebras, cockatiels, night herons, and a hornbill in return for two male and two female lions. However, the transfer could not materialise due to the unavailability of zebras, leaving the enclosure unused.

Tawde also highlighted that the zoo has undergone major modernisation by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), including upgraded enclosures for several animals and improved visitor amenities, and requested the Gujarat government to facilitate the transfer as a goodwill gesture for Mumbai residents. DeshGujarat