At present, the oldest Penguin at Byculla Zoo is a female named Flipper, 12 years old. She was 3 years old when she first arrived in Mumbai, in 2016. Her partner is Molt, who is 10 years old. Together, the couple have parented four penguin babies in nine years
The Byculla Zoo currently houses 21 penguins. File pic
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to expand the penguin enclosures at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, or Byculla Zoo, by 200 square feet, making space to accommodate 40 penguins. At present, there are 21 penguins at the Byculla Zoo, 14 of which were born in Mumbai over the past nine years, and eight were brought from South Korea in 2016, one of which died in the enclosure.
At present, the oldest Penguin at Byculla Zoo is a female named Flipper, 12 years old. She was 3 years old when she first arrived in Mumbai in 2016. Her partner is Molt, who is 10 years old. Together, the couple have parented four penguin babies in nine years. With an increase in the number of penguins, it has become pertinent for civic authorities to ensure a larger space for them. At present, the penguins are housed in a space of approximately 2000 square metres.
A senior BMC official told mid-day, “Nine years ago, Mumbai had seven penguins. We have managed to provide a conducive atmosphere for them at Byculla Zoo. If penguins are happy and content, they breed faster. There are international reports from across the world, where zoos are struggling to breed penguins that are housed in controlled environments. However, in the case of Mumbai, this has happened with no additional effort on our part. Fourteen new babies were born at Byculla Zoo in the past nine years. We must be doing something right. So we want to keep up with our efforts and ensure our animals feel safe and cared for. With this thought, we have decided to extend the penguin enclosure at our zoo.”
BMC has given a letter of acceptance (LOA) to the contractor who will carry out the work of extending penguin enclosures, and the process of scrutinising the documents is underway. "Work will begin within a month," the official added.
Since the contractor — SKS Infra Pvt Ltd — is a construction company based in Hyderabad, they are required to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with companies that have expertise in constructing aquariums. “The MoUs have already been submitted by the contractor. BMC is in the process of examining the documents to ensure their authenticity,” said the official.
According to officials, the existing display area of the penguins will be extended to increase their livable space, as at the time of construction of the enclosures, space was reserved behind the display area for expansion in the future. During the course of expansion, the penguins will be moved to a quarantine area that replicates the layout of their existing enclosure.
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