The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyaan and Zoo in Byculla began the new year on an encouraging note. Not only had four of its animal enclosures been given a swanky facelift with a pair of new tigers, leopards and other animals being brought in, the Mumbai zoo also opened its doors to a 44 ft-tall walkthrough aviary, spread across 18,234 sqft, and boasting of nearly 100 Indian and exotic birds. Wildlife biologist and international zoo educator, Anand Pendharkar, who was one of the early visitors to this newly-designed zoo, describes this change as "phenomenal". Having suffered years of neglect, the zoo, which for the last few years was mostly drawing crowds to its penguin enclosure, was finally coming into its own. But barely a month-and-a-half later, the zoo decided to close its gates, after news of the Coronavirus outbreak. This was a few days before PM Narendra Modi announced the national lockdown from March 24.

It-s the first time in the zoo-s history that it has been shuttered for nearly four months. On an average, the zoo, which opened as a garden in 1862, would see a daily footfall of 8,000 to 10,000 people. During the summer holidays, the numbers would swell further. Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of the zoo, says that the facility has incurred losses worth R3 crore since the lockdown. That it is corporation-funded means that the zoo-s financial losses are currently being taken care of. But, despite the massive revenue drop, the lockdown has come as a blessing in disguise, says Tripathi. "Animals and birds are having a field day in the zoo," he shares. "Most creatures tend to get stressed due to the constant flow of visitors. But right now, because there is no distraction, these animals are showing good, natural behaviour, like climbing trees, and wading through the pools."