Protestors plan to file writ petition in HC; say such animals need huge amounts of water, which is not possible during Mumbai's water crisis
The usual throng of families, students, and of course, young couples, were in for a surprise on Saturday when they visited their favorite weekend haunt — The Byculla Zoo also known as the Jeejamata Udyaan.
Protestors at the Byculla Zoo. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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Out of the 100 people expected by the organisers, a group of 30 protesters had gathered outside the gate of the zoo, armed with banners and slogans, as a sign of protest against the decision of the BMC-owned zoo to include eight Humboldt penguins. "We will be filing a writ petition against the inclusion of these penguins in the zoo next week," said Meet Ashar, an animal activist who was one of the members spearheading the protest.
They managed to catch the attention of pedestrians passing by, while shouting slogans of “Byculla Zoo, Bandh Karo”. Meanwhile, as vehicles on the main road slowed to down to watch this unusual activity outside the zoo, around 25 cops were on stand by inside the zoo compound, in case things got out of hand.
"The penguins cannot survive in a city like Mumbai," said Ashar. "The enclosure built for the penguins is only 400 square feet...these birds are used to swimming in oceans at nautical speeds. What will they do in just 400 square feet of space? Mumbai is going through a water crisis; this is not the need of the hour. If they (civic authorities) really want to work for the animals and give them a good life, the focus should on setting up a wildlife transit center."
Zoo Director Sanjay Tripathi was unavailable for comment. Others who led the protest were Anand Siva, Neetu Jindal (who is leading the same protest in the US) and Radhika Kothari.
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