We set up a date with the flora and fauna of the Mumbai Zoo in Byculla to test out a new app that is promising to guide visitors through the sprawling green lungs of the city
The original Kala Ghoda statue at the Zoo. Pics/Atul Kamble
Not all who wander are lost, but as you start walking the 4km-long branched out pathways inside the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, that Venn diagram slowly transforms into a circle. And as it is with almost any problem you can think of today, the Zoo is saying “There’s an app for that!”
ADVERTISEMENT
The map interface of the app
The new Mumbai Botanical Garden and Zoo app, built collaboratively by the BMC, NGOs NAGAR and Save Rani Baug Foundation, with support from the Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, has carefully mapped out the diverse trees and animal species at the 1861-established green getaway in the heart of the city.
A Pride of Burma tree in bloom
On a festive weekend, hordes of early birds have already gathered at the gates before us to catch the proverbial worm. Fortunately, the home screen of the app provides some respite. Unlike many new apps, the interface doesn’t feel cramped to navigate. Categorised into Trees, Animal Enclosures, Heritage Monuments and other amenities, we’re sure the large icons will help senior citizens and school-going enthusiasts navigate the app with ease.
While the Trees section allows you to pick your favourite tree on the map and make a beeline for it, we opt for a more beginner-friendly option — Quick Tree Tours — three trails charted on the map for our convenience. Our trail includes the white bottle brush tree, a towering tree native to Australia that features a soft water-retaining trunk.
White bottle brush tree
We learn through the app, and later from zoo biologist Dr Abhishek Satam who has joined us on our trail, that there are only three of these in the premises. Next on the trail is the amherstia nobilis, aka Pride of Burma, an exotic tropical flowering tree known for its striking red flowers. Lucky for us, the tree is in bloom this month.
A sloth bear takes a nap
While the illustrated map works just fine in open areas, connectivity issues arise in areas with thick green cover, giving us short breaks from the trail. Enough time for us to be distracted by the heritage monuments around us.
Dr Abhishek Satam (left) explores the app with the writer
Walking up to an imposing bronze statue placed at the centre of a roundabout nearby, we quickly navigate to the Heritage Monuments section of the app to learn the story behind it. We learn that the statue was built by English sculptor Herbert Hampton and that the roundabout was originally planned to host the famous Flora Fountain, before administerial changes brought it to its current location in Fort.
The bandstand at the Zoo was erected in 1937
You can’t come to a zoo and not meet its resident animals and birds. We scour the map and reckon it might be a good time to meet the aquatic birds. The app guides us to the enclosure, step by step, with amenities such as toilets, cafes and free drinking water machines nearby marked clearly. Unlike us, the rosy pelicans, sarus cranes and waterfowls at the enclosure seem quite unimpressed by these technological wonders; they are enticed by another event unfolding nearby. Fresh fish is being laid out by the staff for a grand lunch; we leave the birds to it.
The Greco-Roman bronze sculpture at the roundabout
The last appointment on our checklist is with the sloth bear, who camps opposite the Bandstand structure in the central area of the Zoo. Sure enough, the app guides us to the enclosure, but the bear has… absconded? Dr Satam gives us a heads up, quite literally, when he points to a treetop where the sloth bear has already called it a day and is napping amongst the leaves.
A stork at the aquatic birds enclosure inside the Zoo
An electric fence around the enclosure ensures his slumber isn’t interrupted by the collective ‘aww’s and ‘wow’s of the young visitors passing by. We briefly consider swapping places with the bear, but standing at the middle of the 4km-long pathway now, we realise we have deadlines to keep, and miles to go before we sleep.
Available: All app stores
Need to know
>> Take out at least two to three hours from your day’s schedule if you plan to explore everything the Zoo has to offer
>> The Zoo is busiest between 12 pm to 3 pm, with the popular penguin enclosure reaching peak footfall at 2 pm
>> If you can’t make it to the Zoo, you can still virtually explore the sections on the app. Don’t forget to check the Fun Facts section.
>> Wear running or walking shoes to navigate the varying terrain at the Zoo, and carry a bottle of water to stay hydrated.
>> The Zoo has recently introduced sturdy wheelchairs. Reach out to an attendant at the gate to know more.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
