Mumbai: Many visiting zoo for a glimpse of penguin chick return empty-handed

According to data, the zoo sold tickets worth over Rs 1 lakh on Friday.

Mr Molt, the chick’s father, in Byculla Zoo on Friday. (Nirmal Harindran)

Two days after the country’s first penguin chick was born, crowds gathered at Byculla Zoo on Friday mostly in the hope of seeing the newest inmate. With Friday being a public holiday to mark the Parsi New Year, a lot of school children were seen in the park. “Many children had come to the penguin enclosure asking about the baby penguin. They were under the impression that they could see it,” said an official from the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, popularly known as the Byculla Zoo.

According to data, the zoo sold tickets worth over Rs 1 lakh on Friday. “We had over 3,000 adults and at least 3,000 children. The ticket sales data does not reflect the numbers, as children are not charged on Fridays,” said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, the director of the zoo. But the authorities feel that the number is expected on public holidays and it has not increased due to the birth of the penguin. While the footfall goes up to 10,000-12,000 a day on weekends, 4,000-5,000 visitors are usually recorded on weekdays.

“When the news of the penguin’s birth was reported, we saw a lot of visitors coming in. We did not see that kind of a spike today,” said the zoo official. The chick is likely to remain away from the public gaze for at least three months, zoo officials said. The authorities have created a barricade to prevent the baby from venturing out of the nesting area and to prevent other penguins from entering.

“The parents digest their food and regurgitate it to feed their baby. The chick will be fed only by its parents for the first three months until it is strong enough to take care of its own needs.During this duration, it will be with them in the nesting area and will not be visible to the visitors,” Tripathi said.

Mayur Mangudkar, who had come to the zoo with his family from Andheri, said: “I have seen the penguins before. But I brought my child today to see them. We thought he will get to see the baby as well.”Pradip Kamble, a Kurla East resident, said: “We read the reports of the penguin’s birth and decided to visit the zoo today as we have an off day. We thought we will get to catch a glimpse of the chick.”

The authorities are considering putting up a a board informing people that the baby will not be in public view for a few months. “We can put up a board informing the public about the baby penguin and telling them that they can see it only after three months,” said Tripathi.

The chick that is yet to be named has been with the parents, Flipper and Mr Molt, since birth. A DNA sample will soon be sent to Bengaluru to determine the sex of the baby.

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penguin