On March 19, Mumbai’s zoo in Byculla, Veermata Jijabai Udyan, opened its new penguin house to the public. The zoo saw a spike in the number of visitors, with around 25,000, against the usual weekend traffic of 12,000, according to Sanjay Tripathi, the zoo’s director.
The zoo had not bought new animals for 15 years until 2015, partly in compliance with a Bombay High Court order in 2005 that zoos could not get new animals until their infrastructure improved.
The proposal to bring in penguins was first made in 2009, and it took more than six years for it to fructify. In July 2016, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), which runs the zoo, bought eight Humboldt penguins from the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea. The species was chosen because they are better suited to relatively higher temperatures and adapt themselves well to life in captivity.
Humboldt penguin ( Spheniscus humboldti ), also known as the Chilean penguin, Peruvian penguin, or patranca, breeds on the coasts of Chile and Peru. It is named after a cold-water current off the coast of South America. They are medium-sized penguins, with adults being 56–70 cm tall and weighing 3.6 to 5.9 kg. They have been recorded as living up to 20 years in captivity.
The MCGM paid ₹2 crore for six young birds (three males and three females), and the Koreans added two more females for free. The birds were brought to Mumbai in July 2016 and kept in quarantine.
The process of preparation of their enclosure began in 2014. The new penguin house, in which the birds now live and can be seen by visitors, spans two floors and 35,000 sq. ft. The air temperature in their enclosure is controlled, between 16°C and 18°C, and the water in their pool is between 11°C and 16°C. The penguins eat seven to eight kg of mackerels, anchovies and herrings every day.
The cost of the enclosure is an estimated ₹113 crore, and the civic body has earmarked ₹45 crore for maintenance during the next five years.
The cost of bringing in the birds caused a furore in the city, with Opposition parties in the municipal corporation alleging corruption, and animal rights activists questioning the purchase itself, saying the city was not the right place for the birds.
Row over death in quarantine
Just three months after the penguins came in, a female (informally named Dory by one of the zoo’s doctors) died in quarantine. The autopsy report suggested that the penguin contracted a bacterial infection leading to septicaemia. Dory’s death elicited angry responses from animal rights activists. Advocate Advait Sethana filed a public interest litigation petition in the Bombay High Court, seeking to stop the exhibition of penguins. High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur ruled: “We cannot come to a conclusion that the penguins are not being taken care of properly. We are not going to stop the exhibition. Why should Mumbaikars not enjoy viewing such penguins? Are there no penguin shows in other countries?”
Daisy, Donald, Bubbles, Flipper, Olive, Popeye, and Mr. Molt — as the penguins have been informally named by the zoo staff — have settled into their enclosure and spend a large part of their day swimming in their tank. But many visitors were disappointed on seeing the birds. Used to seeing larger birds on nature channels on television, they found the smaller Humboldts underwhelming. Others complained that the birds did nothing much beyond swimming. Many also criticised the enclosure, which they said was visually unappealing. An additional downer for some was that the zoo does not permit photography in the penguin house.
Visitors to the penguin enclosure get free entry till March-end. From April, they will pay an entry fee, which is likely to be ₹100 for adults and ₹50 for children.
Hariprasad Radhakrishnan
