Jijamata Udyaan

Jijamata Udyaan

Jijamata Udyaan (Marathi: जिजामाता उद्यान) formerly Victoria Gardens, is a zoo and a garden located at Byculla, in the heart of Mumbai. It was laid out in 1861. Also, situated in the Gardens is the Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly Victoria and Albert Museum), mainly of industrial and agricultural interest. In the grounds to the east of the museum is the giant statue of an elephant, brought originally from the Elephanta Caves.

The gardens are spread over 48 acres (190,000 m2) in Byculla, on the central side of Mumbai, surrounded by low income housing colonies or "chawls". At the main entrance to the gardens is a clock tower, reminiscent of Italian Renaissance, but the clock has stopped ticking a long time ago. The gardens boast of scores of trees, some of which are really old.

Jijamata Udyan also houses the Mumbai Zoo. It houses many of the rare and endangered species of animals and birds. The Zoo has seen a lot of controversy surrounding its ill-treated animals.[citation needed] Until very recently, the elephants lived in a small enclosure with their legs chained to restrain them. A very recent order from the central zoo authority, directing the transfer of these elephants to a wild life sanctuary or a tiger reserve, has ensured that these animals will find more breathing space. The other animals still have terrible cages barely larger than themselves. Teasing monkeys and other animals is common in the zoo. 11 antelope died recently in their enclosure at the zoo. While zoo authorities claim that stray dogs broke in, spooked the antelope, and caused the deaths due to stress, many others believe that the ongoing construction caused the deer stress which eventually killed them.