On summer menu for Byculla Zoo members: fruit popsicles, meat ice cakes, multivitamins

Prepared using seasonal fruits such as mangoes and berries, popsicles are a huge hit amongst monkeys. “We churn the fruit extracts and jaggery into a syrup and then freeze it in paper cups with an ice cream stick. Once frozen, we feed them to the monkeys who are very fond of them.”, said a senior official.

Meanwhile, seeking to bring relief to carnivores, the zoo has now started offering them iced meat cakes during their weekly enrichments. The enrichment exercise is a weekly routine during which the meat is hidden and hung on the tree to encourage animals to stretch and fetch food as they would in their natural habitat.

The official added, “During the course of these weekly enrichments, instead of feeding the animals warm raw meat, we have started offering them frozen meat. Sometimes, we assemble them into ice cakes wherein we add pieces of meat along with a little bit of blood. We find that Hyenas and the Tigers especially love to lick off the flavoured water.”

In a bid to maintain their health amidst the rising heat, authorities have also introduced multivitamins and mineral supplements within the diet of birds, reptiles and mammals within the zoo.

“Animals tend to lose their appetite during summers and eat much less as compared to winters and monsoons. Therefore, we supplement their nourishment with multivitamins and minerals to ensure that they do not fall sick”, the official told Express.

While herd animals like deer are fed multivitamins by mixing them within their diet of concentrate mixture, enrichment is provided to carnivores and monkeys by mixing supplements in the water trough placed within their exhibits.

Built to mimic the natural habitats of the wildlife, most exhibits within Byculla Zoo are replete with water ponds and shaded areas, where the animals and birds are seen spending most of their time during the summer.

“We have observed that birds enjoy spending time in the ground level water bodies where they wet their feathers and have a water bath. The elephants and other animals too like going to the pond to cool themselves”, told the official, adding that since Mumbai has high humidity, no sprinklers and coolers have been installed within the zoo enclosures.

Besides these natural cooling mechanisms of the animals, the zoo keepers have also started bathing and spraying them with water twice a day.

Talking about the other slew of measures taken to bring comfort to the creatures, she said, “During summers, we keep the feeding area open. When they feel hot, animals sit inside the shaded area or go inside their feeding area, where they spend their nights. They come out less frequently.”

“Furthermore, the fans installed within the cells of the bird paradise enclosure are kept on during the day as well as the night.”, she added.

According to zoo authorities, Rani baug is currently home to 76 mammals, 228 birds and 25 reptiles. On May 10, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration announced that the tigers, Shakti (9) and Karishma (7) had given birth to two male cubs – Jai and Rudra – taking the total number of cubs in the zoo to four. The cubs were born on November 4, 2022.

Alongside the cubs, three new penguin chicks (two female and one male) were also born in the zoo in the past six months, taking the current population of penguins in the zoo to 15.

Living within a temperature and humidity controlled environment, the Humboldt penguins remain unbothered by the summer heat.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Madhumita Kale, head veterinarian doctor for the penguins at Byculla Zoo said, “The temperature within their exhibit is maintained at 15 – 16 degree celsius. The same temperature is maintained for the water. They are doing well and are being fed mackerels, sardines and Bombay ducks.”