The zoo, under the central watchdog’s scanner for poor facilities, made the laughable claim in HC, which is hearing a public interest litigation to send Humboldt penguins back to South Korea
The Byculla zoo had brought eight Humboldt penguins last year, of which one died in October. File pic
Responding to a public interest litigation in the Bombay high court that seeks the deportation of the seven Humboldt penguins in Byculla zoo, the BMC and zoo authorities yesterday said they are taking utmost care of the birds, procured from South Korea last year. They also claimed that Byculla zoo is one of the best zoos in the country to keep the Humboldt penguins.
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The petition has been filed by advocate Advait Sethna. He has claimed that they are endangered species and the zoo is not equipped to handle them. The petitioner has also stated the death of Dory, one of the penguins, as another reason to send them back.
Best zoo in the country
Zoo director Sanjay Tripathi said in the affidavit that the penguins have been brought to the country for the general public. They have been presently kept in healthy and conducive environments and are being provided one of the best and hygienic frozen fish as food. The temperature in their 1,700 sqft enclosure is between 12 and 16 degree Celsius. The room also has CCTV and a veterinary doctor monitoring them round the clock.
The zoo authorities have also claimed that often Humboldt penguins are confused with Antartic penguins, which can survive only in cold areas, while Humboldt Penguins can survive temperatures as high as 26 degrees Celsius. Around 125 countries have Humboldt penguin parks, of which around 15 are in Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Singapore.
On Dory’s death
The officials have also countered the petition about the death of a penguin named Dory, saying that the bird was infected with gram negative bacteria, that is present in the body of every bird. In Dory’s case, the bacteria flourished causing her death. The officials claimed that they tried their best and provided all kinds of medical help to the penguin, but it could not survive.
Commenting on the high death rate in the zoo, the authorities have claimed that most of the deaths occurred in the last few years due to old age and not due to any negligence. Zoo authorities have gone one step ahead and claimed that the animals were surviving beyond their life expectancy by giving examples of the Asiatic elephant Laxmi who is a 62-year-old, while the lifespan of such elephants is between 55 and 60 years. Black bucks in the zoo are 16 years old, while their average lifespan is between 12 and 14 years.
File rejoinder
Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and justice Girish Kulkarni have asked the petitioner to file a rejoinder to the claims and kept the matter for hearing next week. The high court has recorded BMC counsel Anil Sakhare’s statement saying that till the next date of hearing, only the veterinary doctors and keepers will be visiting the penguins. This means that their exhibit won’t be thrown open to the public till then.
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