Coming to the Byculla zoo soon is an impression of the single land mass that the continents were before plate tectonics got to work millions of years ago. That is the theme recommended by international consultants engaged by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to draw up a comprehensive master plan for the beleaguered zoo’s overhaul.

Over the past week, representatives of the Bangkok-based HKS Designers & Consultants International Co Ltd and US-based landscape designers Portico Group have made presentations to leaders of all political parties and bureaucrats of the BMC. On Saturday, Mayor Shubha Raul even made her first official visit to the zoo.

“Work is progressing very fast on the master plan, the theme and the designs,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner R A Rajeev. “Once these are finalised, tenders will be floated, including global ones, for firms that have done similar work on zoos across the world.”

While the layout of the 52-acre zoo will be a mock-up of the continental mass, complete with landscaping design features depicting the geography of those areas, the animal residents of the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan will also get living areas in their native continents, designed to closely resemble their natural habitats.

A water body is also proposed to depict the Indian Ocean. The artist’s impression of the theme-based zoo also shows visitor facilities, including a training/interpretation centre not far from the Bhau Daji Lad museum plus a veterinary healthcare facility at the deep end of the zoo.

A detailed animal collection plan is also under preparation, to be monitored by the Central Zoo Authority. While the BMC is paying Rs 4 crore for the consultancy services, the real construction work is a Rs 100-crore project involving moats around the animals, educational exhibits, signboards and landscaping. “We hope to obtain the CZA’s clearance very soon, maybe within six months,” said Rajeev.

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