It’s 10 AM on a weekday morning and the flyover outside Byculla’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan is packed with motorists zipping to work. Inside, the verdant 50-acre spread is buzzing with noise of another kind: kids squealing with joy on seeing a crocodile underwater. The latest addition to the zoological gardens, the crocodile and gharial section, has a viewing gallery spread across 3,500 sq. ft. Split into an upper and lower deck, it is said to be modelled on international standards.

The lower deck is a cave-like structure with glass enclosures that open into the depths of the artificial pond home to four crocodiles and two gharials. It simulates a termite-ridden cave, minus the musty smell or dripping water. The clear of the fountain makes the April heat a shade milder. The epoxy flooring is bright blue, and for a moment, we feel like we are up to our ankles in cool waters.