‘We are glad to have in our zoo the first penguin born in India’

We have been overwhelmed by the response from both people in Mumbai and those across the world. Doctors, the wildlife department… everyone is overwhelmed as this is the first facility in India which could breed the Humboldt penguin in captivity, that too in such a short span. It is a remarkable achievement because generally when a new facility is established, it takes four-five years for the penguins to settle down and then they start breeding.

When will you come to know about the gender of the newborn? Have you shortlisted any names?

By three weeks, we will know the gender after which we will decide the name. The names of the earlier penguins were decided by the doctors’ team.

How is the newborn doing?

The newborn is doing good and gaining weight everyday. When it was born, it weighed 75 grams and now its weight is 82 grams. Both parents are taking good care of it.

Has the birth led to any behavioral changes among other penguins in the enclosure?

Yes, doctors are reporting that two other pairs (Popeye-Olive and Donald-Daisy) are also becoming very social and going to their nesting areas regularly. They are slightly young to lay eggs but with the new entrant in the enclosure, they are showing more social behaviour.

How has the journey been since the plan to get the penguins to the city to losing one of the penguins in the first few months to having the first penguin to be born in India. Opinion had been divided especially in the aftermath of the death of one of the penguins (Dory) barely three months after the penguins were brought to India from South Korea in July 2016?

We chose to get the Humboldt penguin as it requires a temperature range of 5 to 24 degrees, which was suitable. We ensured that the management practices that were to be followed in captivity were in adherence with globally recognised guidelines. It is true that during the three-month quarantine period, one baby bird (Dory) died.

To be honest, initially (when the report of the death came in), we were a little scared. But to be fair, there wasn’t any fault on the part of the management. That was a case of infection. It might have been immunity factor. It was a baby and the immunity levels may have been low. Had it been some fault on the part of the management even the other birds would have been impacted. While it is challenging when you are doing it (setting up a facility) for the first time, we were confident. We are glad to have come this far and have a firstborn penguin in our zoo.

How much does it cost to maintain the penguin enclosure? Has footfall gone up after its addition?

The overall expenditure for operation and maintenance of the facility for penguins is Rs 2.5 crore annually. The footfall has definitely gone up, from 12 lakh visitors in 2016-17 before the penguins were displayed to 19 lakh after their enclosure was added. While we did increase the fee from August 2017 when the enclosure was added – from Rs 2 for a child and Rs 5 for an adult to Rs 25 and 50, respectively – the total revenue collection was Rs 5 crore in 2017-2018.

Are there plans to get any new penguins?

There is a proposal to bring two males and one female penguin, which, in a way, is a compensation from the procurement agency (Goa Trade) because of the loss of Dory. We are planning one extra male so that Bubble (whose mate was Dory) is not alone and gets a companion. It will, however, take more than six months to complete the formalities.

What is the progress with phase 2 expansion of the zoo? There was a problem with the tendering process for 10 cages. Has it been resolved?

The expansion process under phase 2 is under way and 17 new animal enclosures are likely to come up soon. Initially, there was a problem with the tendering process for 10 cages (awarded to Highway Construction that constructed the enclosure for the penguins but was replaced after a penguin died) but the issue has been resolved and the company (Highway Construction) has been awarded the contract for 10 enclosures, which should be ready within a year-and-a-half.

In the aftermath of the penguin’s death, Highway Construction was replaced. Does it make sense to award it another contract?

Whatever issues were there, it could not be proved (the way the media highlighted it) before the Lokayukta. So, BMC commissioner has given the go-ahead and the contract awarded to it.

How will these new enclosures be different from the ones that are there?

The proposed enclosures are of international standard with walkthroughs, glass-viewing concept for carnivores like tigers. People will see them from the viewing shelter in a way that you will be in a kind of a cage while the animal will be in a more free-ranging environment. It is called immersion exhibit concept. It has more naturalistic enclosures with more landscape.

With the Bombay High Court paving the way for expansion of the zoo by dismissing a petition filed by Mafatlal Industries Limited over 27,000 square metres of land, what are the plans for developing it?

The new parcel of land will be part of the phase 3 expansion plan where we are proposing some exotic species like in the African savanna, a kind of mixed exhibit having giraffes and zebras. We have to submit the masterplan to the central zoo authority again. Earlier also, we had submitted it but as there was a dispute over the land, we did not get a go-ahead.

What are the new animals people will see in the zoo in the coming years?

We are in the process of getting tigers, lions, leopards, swamp deer (barasingha) and have already written to zoos across the country to procure them.