Cyclone Nisarga: BMC shifts animals at Mumbai zoo to holding centres

The animals at Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo including tiger, leopard, hyena, various reptiles, and others were moved into their holding areas in the wake of Cyclone Nisarga.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) believes that these holding areas in the Veer Mata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, commonly known as the Byculla Zoo will protect the animals and reptiles from any damage caused by tree falls.

"We have made the arrangements for as many as 300 animals including reptiles. We will keep them in holding centres till the situation gets normal in the city," said a senior official at the Zoo.

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Furthermore, BMC has deployed a 20-member emergency response team has been which includes animal keepers, security staff in the holding areas to look after the species.

The administration has also provided tree trimming machines and other equipment to the team to tackle any untoward incidents caused by the cyclone. In addition, CCTV cameras have also been installed to monitor the cyclone-prone areas inside the zoo. 

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Cyclone Nisarga Moving Along Predicted Path

Cyclone Nisarga is moving along the predicted path and is expected to make landfall between 2 pm and 4:30 pm on Wednesday around Alibaug in Maharashtra, NDRF chief SN Pradhan said. The Director-General (DG) of the federal contingency force said a total of 43 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in the two states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

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"The cyclone is expected to make landfall between 2 pm and 4:30 pm somewhere a little south of Alibaug in Raigad district," he said."It is moving along the predicted path as stated by the IMD and in southern parts of Maharashtra the signs of cyclone building up are evident," Pradhan said in a video message update on the cyclone.

In Ratnagiri, winds and rains have picked up, the DG said. The evacuation work is nearly complete, he said, adding, precautionary measures are being taken and people in cyclone shelters are being taught life skills with social distancing. 

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