A pair of lions from Gujarat have been brought to Mumbai as part of a wildlife exchange between the neighbouring states.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai has received two young Asiatic lions from the Sakkarbaug Zoological Park (SZP) in Junagadh.
While the Asiatic lions were brought here on Wednesday, two tigers would be sent on Saturday or Sunday.
The lion pair — D 11 and D 22, both aged three, will be resident at the 107 sq km SGNP’s Lion Safari which has been a major attraction for decades. The SGNP tiger pair - Bajrang and Durga, aged six and three, would now be residents of SZP.
The exchange was okayed by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
Now, there’s only one 11-year-old male lion left in the SGNP which has been kept isolated owing to age-related problems.
In September, Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar went to Ahmedabad during which he met his Gujarat counterpart Jagdish Vishwakarma and finalised the agreement.
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