Animal Planet’s CSR association with MCGM to provide content for 3D theater at Mumbai Zoo

By: Yohan P Chawla

In an attempt to spread awareness about the importance of wildlife, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has tied up with wildlife channel Animal Planet.  Starting 1^st of February, 2019, MCGM will launch a 3D Theater inside the V.J.B. Udyan& Zoo, popularly known as the Byculla zoo in Mumbai. The theater will have Animal Planet content.

Primarily targeting the students and families of Mumbai plus tourists to the city, the theater will be the first of its kind anywhere in a zoo in India. Entry to the theatre will be free for students from MCGM schools. However a nominal fee of INR 50 will be charged to non-MCGM school students and any individuals who wish to watch the documentary films.

The theater will seat 200 persons and will run 4 shows every day.

The first show will start at 11:00 hours while the last show will be screened at 16:00 hours every day. V.J.B. Udyan& Zoo attracts more than 15,000 individuals on a week day while regular weekend entries crosses 30,000.

This is a CSR Initiative from Animal Planet, to provide great wildlife content to give a boost to the popularity of the Zoo along with sensitizing visitors about wildlife.

I caught up with Zulfia Waris, Vice President, Premium & Digital networks, Discovery Communications India, for a quick chat on the association.

Speaking about the unique association Waris said, “We are delighted to partner with MCGM in this novel initiative as a part of our corporate social responsibility.”

“Animal Planet and MCGM have tied up to sensitize citizens of Mumbai, especially children, about the importance of wildlife. As a part of the tie-up, Animal Planet will provide marquee content for the state of the art theatre at V.J.B. Udyan& Zoo.”

“It is a first of its kind partnership between a broadcaster and a municipal corporation across the country. A simple step of offering engaging and thought-provoking wild life content, at a world class theatre, in a public facility like a zoo will go a long way in sensitizing citizens of Mumbai to the need for animal welfare and conservation.”

Sharing her views on the content powered by Animal Planet, Waris said, “There will be 4 shows that will be showcased in a day. We are launching with 5 world class documentaries in Hindi, all of them will focus on varied topics related to wildlife.”

“We will work closely with MCGM to see what kind of content is gaining traction and change accordingly. In the future, we have plans to premiere world class documentaries at this theatre.” 

A brief description of the shows.

Jawai: India’s Leopard Hills

The fascinating story of co-existence between wild predators and human from the rare footage from Jawai, a picturesque location in Rajasthan surrounded by hills. The village is situated near the Jawai dam, which makes it a paradise for the wildlife enthusiast! Leopards, the shyest of the big cats, can be sighted in these areas on a fairly regular basis! They live on rocky outcrops, similar to African ‘kopjes’ and wander close to human habitation regularly. This show reveals leopard behavior like never before and challenges widely held opinion about the big cat.

Wild Africa

Witness an array of spectacular wild animal sightings as the documentary promises to take you on a game drive early each morning, and late each afternoon. We move carefully through the African bush, seeking out the animals who make their home there, from creatures as small as francolin fowl to those as large as an elephant. The game rangers use their incredible tracking skills to locate the elusive leopard and complete a perfect African Big 5 Safari.

Mysterious Wilds of India

Watch magical moments from Indian cameraman SandeshKadur’s lens. He’s on assignment for a feature that examines how wild species can survive in a country like India. This film shares inspiring stories of India’s wild species and how they live, survive and sometimes even thrive in a crowded human world. People have moved in to every part of this country forcing India’s wild creatures to share their food, water and land. So what does it take for a wild species to survive and thrive in this crowded human landscape? It’s a complicated, inspiring and sometimes unexpected story of shared lives: This is 21st Century Wild India.

Extinct or Alive

What if extinct animals weren’t really extinct? Forrest Gallante, a wildlife biologist, is scouring the globe using cutting edge technology on his mission to find species that the world has stopped looking for. With a deep passion for and knowledge of all animals, Forrest tangles with remote and sometimes dangerous environments, seeking out evidence and eyewitnesses to track and bring back to life creatures mistakenly labeled as extinct.

Speed of Life

So much of nature functions much faster or slower, lighter or darker, larger or smaller than can be appreciated with the naked eye. The subtle nuances and hidden majesty of the natural world will now be revealed by using all of modern technology to manipulate time, light and size to analyze THE SPEED OF LIFE.