2 penguin chicks born in Mumbai zoo in last 4 months: Mayor Kishori Pednekar

This picture has been used for representational purpose

Two penguin chicks were born in the Mumbai-based Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, popularly known as the Byculla zoo, since May this year, Mayor Kishori Pednekar said, days after a controversy over the Rs 15.26 crore tender floated by the civic body for the upkeep of the birds at the facility.

In a press conference at the zoo, Pednekar said the tender will continue till 2024, and claimed the zoo's income significantly went up after the arrival of penguins at the civic-run facility in 2016. She said a chick was born to the breeding pair of Humboldt penguins - 'Molt' (male) and 'Flipper' (female) - on August 19, while another pair of the birds - 'Donald (male) and 'Daisy' (female) - gave birth to a male chick named 'Oreo' on May 1.

Last week, a controversy erupted over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Rs 15.26 crore tender floated in August for the upkeep of the penguins in the enclosure at the zoo for three years. The Congress criticised the ruling Shiv Sena over the tender, while the BMC claimed the birds had helped increase the zoo's revenue.

The civic body had also said it was trying to bring down the upkeep cost of the penguins' enclosure. A BJP corporator had said the hike in the zoo's revenue cannot be attributed to the penguins alone, as the ticket prices at the facility have gone up from Rs 5 to Rs 50 since August 1, 2017. Besides the two chicks, the zoo currently has seven adult penguins- three males and four females.

On September 14, Pedenkar said the civic body has neither cancelled the tender nor revised it. "The tender will continue till 2024," Pednekar said, and claimed the zoo's income significantly increased after the arrival of the penguins. According to the zoo administration, the youngest 25-day-old chick is being looked after by its parents.

The chick's sex determination is yet to be done, a release from the zoo authorities said. Recently, civic officials said the penguins were a major tourist attraction before the zoo was shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Eight penguins - three males and five females - were brought to the Byculla zoo from Coex Aquarium at Seoul in South Korea in 2016, and one of the birds later died.

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Spread over 1,800 sq ft, the penguin enclosure at the zoo comprises a pool, an accommodation area, air handling units and a cooling system. The country's first chick of the Humboldt penguins was born at the zoo on August 15, 2018, but it died after a few days. Bringing the flightless birds to the zoo was a pet project of Yuva Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, who currently heads the tourism ministry in the Maharashtra government.

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