Mumbai zoo welcomes four gharials from Ranchi into its underwater viewing exhibit

Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) The botanical garden and zoo in Mumbai's Byculla area has added four gharials, brought from Ranchi, to its underwater glass viewing exhibit, officials said on Thursday.
Gharial, a crocodile-like reptile, is distinct from other crocodilians due to its long snout. It has been listed as a critically-endangered species.
Four new gharials have been brought to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo from the Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi as a part of an animal exchange programme, the officials said.
An official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which runs the zoo, said these gharials, aged six to eight years, have been brought to Mumbai from the Jharkhand capital in exchange for four white cockatiels and as many grey cockatiels.
The Mumbai zoo, which is popularly known as Ranibaug, has an underwater glass viewing exhibit for crocodiles and gharials, where visitors can clearly observe the underwater movement of these semi-aquatic animals through the glass, the official said.
In a post on the zoo's Instagram page, the authorities appealed to people to visit the facility for a "thrilling underwater experience" of these gharials.
The 162-year-old zoo is one of the famous tourist spots in the city. Annually, lakhs of tourists, especially children, visit the zoo that is rich in flora and fauna. Humboldt penguins and tigers are one of the main tourist attractions there.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)