BMC is expecting to soon take over the land for the proposed zoo and complete it in four years
With the process of acquiring the land for the proposed Aarey zoo nearing completion, the civic body is planning to make it the new home to the man-eater leopards caged in the rescue centre of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will execute the plan after securing the permission of the Central Zoo Authority of India. "Wild animals like leopards that are man-eaters and cannot be released into the wild can be kept in the zoo. We can accommodate at least a few of them that are being kept in cages and give them a better home," said BMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi. The proposed enclosure for the big cats would then be opened to public, Pardeshi added. Currently, there are around 10-15 leopards at SGNP.
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Pardeshi said the primary focus of the Aarey Zoo will be the breeding centre for endangered and rare animals, but wild cats that are currently at the SGNP can also be kept in enclosures in collaboration with the Forest Department. "We will co-manage the breeding centre with world organisations that specialise in research on breeding of endangered animals, like vultures, leopards and wild buffaloes," he said. The BMC will charge a fee for the research and the revenue from this would be used for the maintenance of the facility, Pardeshi added.
BMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi
The BMC is soon expecting to take over the 120-acre land in Aarey for the proposed zoo and will be in charge of designing, building and maintaining the property. "The MOU (memorandum of understanding) has already been signed and the forest and revenue departments are finalising the terms to handover the land to the BMC. Once the land is in our possession, we will appoint a consultant to design the zoo. We will then figure out how many SGNP wild animals can be accommodated," said a BMC official. The BMC is expected to spend around Rs 500 crore to construct the international standard zoo within the next four years.
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