Mumbai: The BMC has decided to put the Humboldt penguins housed at the Byculla Zoo on public display at the Byculla zoo here from this month end, a senior civic official said. However, entry will be regulated for the first few days, he said.
“From the end of this month till March-end, the penguin enclosure will be open to school children, and no fees will be charged. Their parents too will not be charged if they carry a valid identity card,” the official said.
He said the exact date for opening the penguin enclosure to the public has not been decided yet, but the inauguration will be done by civic school kids in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta.
Eight Humboldt penguins — three males and five females — were brought from Seoul, South Korea to Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo (commonly known as Byculla zoo) on July 26, 2016. One of the eight penguins developed serious bacterial infections and died on October 23, 2016 leading to an uproar by animal activists. Political parties seized the opportunity to corner the ruling Shiv Sena in the BMC over the issue.
The BMC had refused to return a Rs. 1.40-crore deposit by the contractor responsible for building the enclosure after the penguin’s death.
