By the time we reach Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in a kali-peeli that felt like a sauna on wheels under Mumbai’s unforgiving sun, Jerry, the two-year-old penguin is lounging with his buddies in a temperature controlled 14 degree Celsius nest. It’s a full house at The Humboldt Penguin Exhibit at the Zoo, on either side of the glass wall. 

The eight penguins that were brought from Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea in 2016 have multiplied to 21 in a decade. Ahead of World Penguin Day which also happens to coincide with the eve of resident penguins Bingo and Oreo’s fourth and fifth birthdays (April 26), Dr Abhishek Satam, zoo biologist, and Dr Madhumita Kale, the penguins’ vet since 2016, join us on a tell-all walkthrough.