The Mumbai Zoo, aka Byculla Zoo, aka Jijamata Udyaan, aka Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyanaka, aka Ranichi Bagh. Whew.
I didn't know much about the Mumbai Zoo before I visited. I had the assumption that as one of the major cities in India, the zoo would be one of the major zoos. To my surprise it was so small and half-empty of animals that I was out in half an hour. It was one of those strange visits where you've seen the whole place, seen every cage and animal on show, but you've barely walked in. You think "should I go round a few more times?" but there isn't any point because there's nothing more to see and what is there wasn't worth seeing in the first place.
The entry fee is just five rupees. Strangely, water is not allowed into the zoo. Every person entering has their bag searched and any food and water is removed. I understand the food part, to stop people feeding the animals and littering, but the water part was a first for me. I can only assume it is to prevent the plastic bottles being thrown around. I argued with the guards that I can't walk around in that heat without water - I'm not Indian after all! - and after a while they got sick of me and just let me through. I needn't have bothered with the effort, given the short time I was in there.
The zoo was established in 1861, originally called Victoria Gardens by the British, and it does look like how you might imagine a Victorian-era animal collection in a garden setting in India. There are very few animals here, but also many enclosures were blocked off or empty or being demolished or being re-wired. The hooved stock had basic pens with a dry moat and wall-barrier surrounding each one. Most of the other animals were in menagerie cages. There were a few aviaries, including some very large ones for water birds. Bizarrely the emus were in a barred cage - the only other place I've seen emus in a cage is at the Calcutta Zoo.
There's not much else to say really. I'll put the lists below of the species I saw. I took few photos while there, and I'll upload those at some point.
MAMMALS:
Asian Elephant (two seen)
Sambar
Chital
Indian Muntjac
Nilgai
Blackbuck
Common Hippopotamus (one seen)
Striped Hyaena (two)
Rhesus Macaque
[Chousingha labelled, not seen]
[Wolf was labelled as "proposed exhibit"]
[Sloth Bear labelled, not seen, may not have been there]
[Leopard sign was seen, but the area was blocked off]
BIRDS:
(Most of these were in mixed aviaries)
Emu
Gull sp. (no signage and it was a gull, so could have been any of the large species found in India)
White Pelican
Oriental Black-headed Ibis
Black-crowned Night Heron
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Indian Pond Heron
Lesser Adjutant
Painted Stork
Woolly-necked Stork
Sarus Crane
Demoiselle Crane
Red-crowned Crane
Grey Crowned Crane
Crested Hawk-eagle
Barbary Dove
Laughing Dove
Cockatiel
Budgie
Indian Ringneck
Alexandrine
African Grey Parrot
Military Macaw
Malabar Pied Hornbill
Greater Hill Mynah
House Crow (two albinos)
REPTILES:
Indian Rock Python
Gharial
Mugger
Indian Flapshell Turtle (I think - they were covered in duckweed so identification is only 95%)
I didn't know much about the Mumbai Zoo before I visited. I had the assumption that as one of the major cities in India, the zoo would be one of the major zoos. To my surprise it was so small and half-empty of animals that I was out in half an hour. It was one of those strange visits where you've seen the whole place, seen every cage and animal on show, but you've barely walked in. You think "should I go round a few more times?" but there isn't any point because there's nothing more to see and what is there wasn't worth seeing in the first place.
The entry fee is just five rupees. Strangely, water is not allowed into the zoo. Every person entering has their bag searched and any food and water is removed. I understand the food part, to stop people feeding the animals and littering, but the water part was a first for me. I can only assume it is to prevent the plastic bottles being thrown around. I argued with the guards that I can't walk around in that heat without water - I'm not Indian after all! - and after a while they got sick of me and just let me through. I needn't have bothered with the effort, given the short time I was in there.
The zoo was established in 1861, originally called Victoria Gardens by the British, and it does look like how you might imagine a Victorian-era animal collection in a garden setting in India. There are very few animals here, but also many enclosures were blocked off or empty or being demolished or being re-wired. The hooved stock had basic pens with a dry moat and wall-barrier surrounding each one. Most of the other animals were in menagerie cages. There were a few aviaries, including some very large ones for water birds. Bizarrely the emus were in a barred cage - the only other place I've seen emus in a cage is at the Calcutta Zoo.
There's not much else to say really. I'll put the lists below of the species I saw. I took few photos while there, and I'll upload those at some point.
MAMMALS:
Asian Elephant (two seen)
Sambar
Chital
Indian Muntjac
Nilgai
Blackbuck
Common Hippopotamus (one seen)
Striped Hyaena (two)
Rhesus Macaque
[Chousingha labelled, not seen]
[Wolf was labelled as "proposed exhibit"]
[Sloth Bear labelled, not seen, may not have been there]
[Leopard sign was seen, but the area was blocked off]
BIRDS:
(Most of these were in mixed aviaries)
Emu
Gull sp. (no signage and it was a gull, so could have been any of the large species found in India)
White Pelican
Oriental Black-headed Ibis
Black-crowned Night Heron
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Indian Pond Heron
Lesser Adjutant
Painted Stork
Woolly-necked Stork
Sarus Crane
Demoiselle Crane
Red-crowned Crane
Grey Crowned Crane
Crested Hawk-eagle
Barbary Dove
Laughing Dove
Cockatiel
Budgie
Indian Ringneck
Alexandrine
African Grey Parrot
Military Macaw
Malabar Pied Hornbill
Greater Hill Mynah
House Crow (two albinos)
REPTILES:
Indian Rock Python
Gharial
Mugger
Indian Flapshell Turtle (I think - they were covered in duckweed so identification is only 95%)
