This is a plan which is basically a fantasy list of animals. There is literally zero chance of Mumbai Zoo getting Okapi.
To what extent is Mumbai Zoo dependent on revenue as opposed to government funding? And what is the appetite among urban-dwelling Indians to see Indian wildlife? Those seem to be pertinent questions here.
Government funding, for the most part. All the big redevelopments are funded by the municipal body for Mumbai. But I think part of their plan is to increase the contribution of visitor revenues to the budget, including through the creation of a tiered ticketing system wherein some of the more premium (presumably exotic) exhibit areas would require an additional fee. Second question is trickier and, ofc, subjective. Urban Indians are visiting the national parks in record numbers, and our wildlife tourism is almost entirely sustained by domestic demand, but I'll admit that the focus there is disproportionately on the big cats. Still, I think with a little interesting exhibit design, marketing, etc. there could be interest in local species. I have more thoughts on this and will come back with them!
The article mentions a few other developments regarding the renovation of the zoo! The aviary really does look very modern for Indian zoo standards!
Laxmi, the famous elephant and the zoos eldest animal, died at an age of 64 years : Elephant Laxmi, Byculla zoo’s oldest animal, dies
