From Jan 26, catch a glimpse of hyenas, sloth bears at zoo
MUMBAI: Citizens will soon be able to catch a glimpse of the jackals, hyenas, sloth bears, leopards and at least 100 birds, which were brought to Mumbai in the past eight months, at Byculla zoo. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to inaugurate the four animal enclosures and the aquatic bird aviary on January 26, following which these animals will be moved out of quarantine into the viewing area of the zoo.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to inaugurate the enclosures and the aviary.
As part of its zoo expansion plan, the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan at Byculla brought four jackals, a pair of hyenas, a pair of leopards, and two sloth bears to the Mumbai zoo over the past eight months.
The two leopards, a male named Drogone and a female named Pintu, were brought from Pilikula Zoo in Mangalore, along with the two jackals, according to a zoo official. The two Hyenas, a male named Varun, and a female named Sowmya, were brought in from the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru, and the sloth bears were brought from Surat. A senior zoo official said, “The animal enclosures are ready, and the animals will be moved into them soon. However, they have not been formally inaugurated yet.”
The four enclosures are spread over a 4,200-sqm area inside the zoo. The jackals are staying in a 600-sqm enclosure, the hyenas in a 800-sqm space, and the sloth bears are living in in an enclosure spread across 1,200sqm. The leopards are living in a 1,600-sqm enclosure. The special aquatic bird aviary will be able to house at least 100 birds.
MUMBAI: In a bid to cover maximum number of patients under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana (MJPJAY), the state has decided to increase the number of empanelled hospitals to 1,000 from 492, said public health minister Rajesh Tope.
The state has also decided to introduce a scheme based on
Aam Admi Party’s Mohalla Clinics in New Delhi. A team of senior officials will visit Delhi to study the scheme and prepare a proposal, Tope said. Mohalla Clinics are primary health centres that offer a basic package of essential health services for free.
MJPJAY facilitates cashless medical treatments to needy patients at government-empanelled hospitals for around 1,100 types of diseases, surgeries and therapies.
“We have decided to integrate MJPJAY scheme with Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The move will not only help us in adding more hospitals, but help also save funds. Maximum people of the state will be able to get the benefit of the scheme,” Tope said. “We have planned to adopt the concept of Mohalla Clinics and it will be named as ‘Apla Dawakhana’,” he said, adding that under the scheme, the government will construct a health centre and provide doctor, staff, medicines, etc.