Byculla's Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan will remain open to the public this coming Wednesday on the occasion of Vijayadashami (Dussehra), which is a public holiday.
The zoo remains shut on Wednesdays for cleaning and maintenance purposes. However, as per the resolution passed earlier by the Municipal Corporation, if a public holiday falls on a Wednesday, they will keep the zoo open to the public.
Popularly known as Ranibaug, the zoo has pulled crowds in the last few months. This year it welcomed the visitors on the occasion of Ganeshotsav. The citizens, especially children, were seen enjoying watching the animals. The addition of new exotic animals in the zoo has attracted visitors, especially children who were seen in large numbers around the exhibit of tiger, leopard, bear and penguin as well.
The average weekday footfall is around 3,000-4,000, while it swells to 12,000-15,000 on weekends. The long weekend of four days in the last month had reported around 46,000 visitors. While during summer vacation, the zoo recorded the highest number of visitors 30,379 on one single day in May. However, the number of visitors went down due to heavy rains and the reopening of schools.
