Learning from last weekend's fiasco, civic body ropes in volunteers to ensure better crowd control this time
Around 40,000 visitors turned up to catch a glimpse of the penguins last week
If the chaotic opening of the Humboldt penguin exhibit has put you off, this weekend promises to be better. After the crowds went berserk trying to catch a 'free darshan' of the exotic birds last Sunday, Byculla zoo authorities have reached out to colleges and religious groups for volunteers to help in crowd management.
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This is the last weekend that citizens will get a chance to glimpse the Humboldt penguins free of charge, and the zoo authorities want to get their ducks in a row and ensure that last weekend's chaos is not repeated.
Off to a bad start
mid-day had reported how the zoo got 25,000 visitors on Sunday alone, with queues stretching longer than a kilometre outside the penguin exhibit. Zoo authorities were not prepared to handle such a large turnout, and crowd control soon broke down, nearly leading to a stampede. Four children went missing after the crowd tried to barge into the premises.
Since there was no announcement system, the authorities found it difficult to pass on any message to visitors. Fortunately, the children were found and reunited with their parents.
Officials are expecting another massive round of visitors this weekend too, particularly since the next weekend onwards, visitors will have to pay an entry fee.
The BMC has also proposed that the ticket price be raised from Rs 5 to Rs 100 — children will be charged half price.
Precautions taken
Speaking to mid-day, zoo director Dr Sanjay Tripathi said, "We have written to colleges like MD College in Parel and religious groups like Siddhivinayak Mandir Trust and Aniruddha's Academy of Disaster Management to provide some volunteers to manage the crowd. As of now, only Aniruddha's Academy has responded and they are ready to give us around 50 volunteers to help."
Zoo authorities are also going to use megaphones to set up an announcement system to control the crowd. The BMC has purchased three megaphones that will be given to security guards. The zoo currently has eight BMC security guards, and another 10 have been deployed to help out.
Tripathi added, "We will install barricades from the rose garden to the penguin centre to ensure there is no chaos. Everyone will get a chance to see penguins if they wait patiently."
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