A ground report by our sutradhaars who decided to check out the new residents at Byculla zoo
The stunning 44-feet high aviary houses the black-headed ibis, painted stork, lesser adjutant stork, sarus crane, demoiselle crane, Japanese crane, rosy pelican and the black-crowned night heron. The enjoyable part about the experience is that you can eas
Lady Flora and Sir PM looked a tad flushed, as they held on to their picnic baskets. They were headed northward – to Byculla. The unexpected rise in temperatures in February had caught both of them unawares. Of course, it was too late to change the itinerary.
It was nearly a month since the duo had made a plan to drop by the Byculla Zoo, egged on by King Edward, of course. He had heard about the new residents in his backyard and was keen to check them out. "I need to see for myself if the buzz and hype in the press is truly worth it. Why don-t the two of you make a trip out of it? It-s been a while since we met," he invited his friends who agreed in a moment.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was well past midnight by the time our sutradhaars – albeit a bit out of breath – reached the gates of the Zoo. "Lady, I need to sit down." His friend, a bit amused, readily helped him find his bearings. In a few moments, King Ed minus the black horse, appeared near the entrance and spirited them inside. On tiptoe, the trio headed towards the enclosures at the zoo. It was pitch dark, but a gentle breeze ensured that all kinds of undecipherable sounds made for a cryptic symphony. They tried not to get distracted by the background score and headed first to the much-talked-about aviary. "Oh my goodness," sighed Lady Flora as she craned her neck to grasp the enormity of the 44-feet-high enclosure that housed different species of storks, cranes, herons and other birds. "This is quite something," her voice very nearly woke up one of the Japanese cranes that looked annoyed at being awoken at this hour. The country-s first and biggest aviary wowed the trio but they soon realised that nighttime visits weren-t the best way to appreciate its full glory. "So, sorry my dear," Lady Flora apologised to the disturbed avian, as she promised to keep her voice down for the rest of their visit.
Next up, they spotted the hyenas and the golden jackal; both were fast asleep and made sounds that gave Sir PM the goose bumps. It had been some time since dinner, and so he gestured to Lady Flora to bring out the chicken sandwiches, the pillowy-soft treats from Café Universal were his favourite but Lady Flora-s version got a thumbs up. Sated, they headed towards the turtle enclosure. Sir PM, seemed more cued to the sounds emanating from the canopies above; he swore he heard a langur-s call but didn-t dare bring it up. Looking skyward, he lost his footing, and would have hit the ground had King Ed not grabbed his hand at the right moment. Luckily, none of the nearby residents seemed to mind. "Phew!" sighed Sir PM after recovering from his near-accident.
By now, they felt it was time to spot the superstars read: tigers and leopards. "Psst! Don-t go looking for the tigers…my sources tell me that the authorities will showcase Shakti and Karishma in their special enclosures only in March," whispered King Ed, hoping that his SoBo guests wouldn-t cause another stir at this hour, adding "But you can meet Pinto and Drogone; I am told both leopards are enjoying the attention here."
"Let-s move to where the action is," Lady Flora took Sir PM-s hand, and headed in their direction, excited that they-d meet the big cats, finally. "What brings you here? Isn-t it well past visiting hours?" snarled Pinto. He wasn-t expecting company at this hour. "Huh! Did you hear that?" asked Sir PM, as he swung around, dazed at the sight of a talking leopard; he nudged Lady Flora, too. She was aghast, and turned a whiter shade of stone. "We…we came to see you," stuttered Sir PM, "Welcome to Bombay," is all he could manage. "Well, what a delight this is! Tell us how have things been so far?" Lady Flora slipped into her usual interrogatory mode. "Not bad at all. Barring the wretched yelling that takes over when we have busloads of school kids in the middle of my noontime nap, life is good," shared Pinto, showing off his set of scary, sharp teeth with a wide yawn. Beads of perspiration rolled down Sir PM-s temples. "I am hopeful that summer will be kind, and we are well looked after. My buddy Drogone told me that it can get pretty humid in these parts," he confided, looking bored with his visitors. Sir PM and Lady Flora looked at each other, wondering if it was time to leave.
"Off with the two of you now. I need my sleep before the attendants wake me up for my grub and exercise," growled Pinto. Both friends made a quick exit, and joined their friend. "I hope those penguins are fine, and make it through another summer," sighed Edward, as he pointed towards the Humboldt penguin enclosure. He could only imagine how tough it must be for the cute bunch who arrived in the city amidst controversy all those years ago.
The trio took a moment to soak it all in. While the new residents looked in good shape at the zoo, the larger picture had to be addressed. "Lady Flora, I am no fan of zoos, but the critical issue for me, is that while they are here, I hope the authorities ensure their long-term care and adaptability in this new environment comes as close as possible to their original habitat." Their friends nodded in agreement, and made a hasty exit; they heard footsteps draw near, as it was close to dawn. The three promised to slip into spy mode for a revisit soon, to check on the city-s newest residents.
mid-day-s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city-s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
