Mumbai heat beats the life out of Byculla Zoo dwellers

Byculla Zoo

While air conditioners in the city are working overtime to defuse the steamy summer, animals at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosle Udyan, popularly known as the Byculla Zoo, are scrambling to find a little comfort.

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A zoo staffer carries the lifeless body of a Painted Stork, which died due to the summer heat

One might think the BMC has made adequate water provisions for the heat-beaten creatures. But a visit by mid-day revealed that even though some birds and animals have succumbed to the soaring mercury, enclosures of elephants and deer were lacking water. The zoo officials, though, maintain they are taking good care of the animals.

Two jumbos stare at the receding water level of a pond

A bevy of deer steers clear of the sun shining mercilessly over their enclosure. Pics/Datta Kumbhar