Richa PintoMumbai: Mayor Ritu Tawde on Friday took a swipe at the UBT Shiv Sena while renewing her efforts to bring lions to the Byculla zoo, declaring, “If they brought penguins, we will bring lions.”The Byculla gardens and zoo currently has 25 birds.Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray backed the proposal to bring penguins to Mumbai zoo, which is the only zoo in the country to have these flightless birds. Eight Humboldt penguins — three male and five female — were brought into Mumbai’s Jijabai Bhosale Udyaan and zoo in Byculla on July 26, 2016. The penguins were brought from Coex Aquarium, Seoul, in South Korea.Tawde said she was even willing to visit Gujarat’s Sakkarbaug Zoo personally if required to expedite the transfer of lions. Tawde said she decided to revive the proposal after learning that the lion enclosure at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo remained vacant for four years despite being ready. She has initiated the process to secure the necessary approvals.Zoo authorities said they have informed Sakkarbaug Zoo that they are willing to exchange three pairs of capuchin monkeys for a pair of lions and are awaiting a response from the Gujarat zoo. Officials said they are keen to acquire young lions so they can be bred at the Byculla zoo, helping establish a sustainable captive population. Procuring the capuchin monkeys is expected to cost around Rs 70-80 lakh. Authorities are hopeful the lions could arrive by the end of the year.While the Gujarat zoo is seeking animals in exchange, in the past, Byculla zoo authorities sought that the lions be given to them as a donation. In Jan 2025, the Byculla zoo formally wrote to Gujarat’s principal chief conservator of forests seeking a pair of Asiatic lions as a donation. Earlier proposals also ran into hurdles. On one occasion, Sakkarbaug sought zebras in exchange, but the proposal could not proceed as the Mumbai zoo does not house zebras. In 2019, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also wrote to the Gujarat chief minister’s office requesting lions for Mumbai, but the move did not fructify.
