|
Gear up for close encounter with animals
Byculla zoo will have a children’s exploration centre to help kids observe animals from a close range.....ALPITA MASURKAR
The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan at Byculla will soon have a children’s exploration centre where kids can get to see animals from a close range.
The exploration centre is the newest addition to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plans to redevelop the zoo, popularly known as Rani Baug. “The children’s exploration centre will help the children in conquering fear of animals, as they will be allowed to come close to the animals in the zoo. The centre will also help them learn more about animal behaviour and the way animals respond to certain environmental conditions,” said Mahesh Pillai, manager, India Operations of HKS designers and consultants, the private body appointed by the municipal corporation for re-development of Rani Baug.
Some of the animals that will be brought to the new zoo from Australia, Africa, Asia, South-east Asia and other parts of India include cheetah, orangutan, giraffe and giant squirrel. “The Education Department of the Veermata Jijabai Udyan is going to look after the children’s exploration centre,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner R A Rajeev. Rani Baug has been at the receiving end of protests from environmentalists and activists ever since the civic body announced plans to re-develop this century old zoo for a whopping Rs 433.57 crore. The main fear was that a lot of trees, some of which have been categorised as rare, will be cut to make way for the facilities to be introduced at the zoo. Rani Baug, founded by the Agrihorticultural Society of West India in 1862 is any tree lover’s or a botanical student’s paradise and houses over 3,000 varieties of trees of 227 species. The municipal corporation claims that the new zoo will be developed around the existing trees and not a single tree will be cut in the process. Meanwhile, the consultants have also declared plans to bring the Kala Ghoda statue existing within the zoo premises to the front of the renovated and restored Bhau Daji Laud Museum. The consultants believe that this move will allow visitors to have a look at the statue of King Edward VII riding a black horse after whom Kala Ghoda, the art district of Mumbai is named. A children’s exploration centre will help children in conquering fear of animals, as they will be allowed to come close to the animals in the zoo. It will also help them learn more about animal behaviour and the way animals respond to certain environmental conditions
|
