Shifting of two tigers from Aurangabad zoo to Mumbai delayed

The city civic body's plan to shift two tigers from its zoological park here to Mumbai's Byculla Zoo is getting delayed as the Aurangabad municipal chief is yet to sign the papers to facilitate the move, an official said on Wednesday.

Around two months back, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had decided to send two tigers from its Siddharth Garden and Zoo to Veer Mata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan And Zoo (popularly known as Byculla Zoo) in Mumbai in exchange of a variety of birds.

According to the official, the Siddharth Zoo has total 12 big cats, which are "excess" in numbers.

"Despite the completion of all the other formalities, the two tigers are waiting for their new home in Mumbai as the Aurangabad civic chief is yet to sign a file to that effect. We cannot transfer the big cats unless the commissioner signs the file," Zoo Director B S Naikwade said.

Aurangabad civic chief Nipun Vinayak has gone on a long leave.

Naikwade said, "Senior civic officials had ordered us to survey the facilities at the Mumbai zoo. We carried out the survey and found the facilities to be good for the tigers. The survey report was submitted to the office of the municipal commissioner and we are waiting for his signature."