Following complaints, the Maharashtra zoo authority begins screening the qualifications of doctors treating the Humboldt penguins in quarantine
Here's a bird-brained idea that might just have led to the death of Byculla zoo’s Humboldt penguin — after spending crores on flying in eight of the birds from South Koreaand building a special enclosure for them, the contractor failed to recruit a single vet with the expertise to care for this delicate species.
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Byculla zoo has come in for severe criticism over the death of one of the Humboldt penguins just three months after they were brought to the city. While officials remain tight-lipped about it, activists are already digging for information on the conditions in which the penguins were kept, including the qualifications of the vets hired to care for them.
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While there are four veterinarians in charge of the penguins’ health, it appears that not one of them has ever worked with this particular species of penguin before. All four were hired by the contractor — Highway Construction Company (HCC). The company was responsible for building the enclosure and quarantine area, as well as keeping the penguins in good health.
Activists raise alarm
In a letter to the central and state zoo Authorities, the Mumbai-based Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) wrote: “We would request you to intervene into the matter and initiate an investigation so as to find out whether the zoo has an in-house or a special appointed veterinary doctor exclusively for Humboldt Penguins and also verify the qualifications, expertise and past work of the vets with the same species.”
Under the scanner
With growing suspicion that the zoo lacks any actual experts on Humboldt penguins, the Maharashtra Zoo Authority has now turned its scanner on the facility. “We are looking into the qualifications of the veterinarians who are currently monitoring the health of the Humboldt penguins to check if they have the expertise to treat this species,” said a state official.
Yesterday, the zoo also received a visit from M Moranko, the regional deputy director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, who is also the member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Meet the doctors
According to officials from Byculla zoo, four doctors are currently on the expert panel for the penguins — Dr Madhumita Pai, Dr Nilesh Mhatre, Dr Ganesh Atole and Dr Rina Dev. However, sources informed mid-day that only two of these doctors have ever worked with penguins, but of different species.
When mid-day questioned zoo director Dr Sanjay Tripathi about this, he shrugged off any responsibility. “The four experts work for Highway Construction Company, which is responsible for maintenance of the penguins,” he said, adding, “Dr Madhumita has done a lot of work related to penguins in New Zealand.”
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However, a veterinary doctor from Mumbai who has been practising for more than 15 years said, “The shocking fact is that while Dr Madhumita Kale has done a lot of work on penguins in New Zealand, she is not an expert of the species that was brought to Mumbai. The anatomy of each animal is different, so they need doctors who are experts on that particular species. There are many veterinarians who go abroad for medical conferences and attend workshops related to specific species, but that does not qualify them as experts.”
‘Zoo’s negligence’
Meanwhile, local MLA Waris Pathan from AIMIM alleged, “The Humboldt penguin died due to the negligence of the zoo authorities. I had already raised the issue of the lack proper arrangements at the zoo a few months back.” He added, “India doesn’t have experts on Humboldt penguins and the current team of doctors is not capable of taking care of them. Experts should be called from the central government to check the facilities created for these birds. If they are not as per the standards, then the birds should be sent back.”
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