Mumbai: BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has given approval to add 'botanical garden' in the name of Byculla zoo, also called ' Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo'. Now, the zoo will be known as 'Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo'.
The garden, which is spread over 5,200 square metres, comprises 80% of the city's flora. There are 82 animals of 13 mammal species, 194 birds of 16 species and 28 reptiles of seven species. It houses nine penguins, two tigers, deer, various types of monkeys, hyenas and serpents. There are 6,611 trees in the zoo, many of them are hundreds of years old. This zoo has heritage status.
Many botanists pay visits to the garden for research purposes.
The zoo was earlier known as Victoria Gardens, but was first renamed as 'Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan' in 1969 and as 'Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo' in 1980. The garden/zoo is one of the famous tourist spots in the city. Lakhs of tourists, especially children, visit the zoo that is rich in flora and fauna. Humboldt Penguins and tigers are one of the main tourist attractions inside the zoo.
