Lindsay Pereira: Finding Dory hapless and left to die

Eight Humboldt penguins arrived in July from Seoul's Coex Aquarium, of which one died recently. File pic

Eight Humboldt penguins arrived in July from Seoul's Coex Aquarium, of which one died recently. File pic

The death of a penguin earlier this week upset me a little more than it ought to have. I didn't grow up with a particular affinity for penguins, of course, simply because I saw my first real one only in my late 20s. It wasn't a particularly memorable sighting either, probably because we, as Indians, are more prone to being sentimental about awful movies starring Rajesh Khanna or the 1983 Cricket World Cup than we are about flora or fauna. We aren't even encouraged to care about people, let alone animals.

And yet, the death of this one-and-a-half-year-old bird at the national embarrassment we refer to as the Byculla Zoo, shook me. The penguin was named Dory - presumably because our BMC corporators hadn't found the time to discuss which female relative of a deceased Maharashtra politician it could be named after - and she died on account of liver dysfunction and an intestinal infection. In other words, Dory died because she was forced to live in Mumbai, where intestinal infections plague millions of us from the day we are born till the time we are carted off to unceremonious cremations or burials.

Her untimely death shook me simply because she wasn't supposed to die in Mumbai. A Humboldt penguin, she was supposed to grow old in coastal Peru or Chile - which is where the species comes from. Instead, for no fault of her own, she was dragged to a city that barely cares about human beings, just so a political party could score brownie points by displaying her to a bunch of uncaring residents. That is what made her death so pointless.

What surprised me about BMC's obsession with penguins was this: the logic behind the decision - one that cost a reported R2.57 crore - was that the penguins would surprise and amaze the people in this city. This, from an organisation that has used staggering sums of taxpayer money, year after year, and has never thought about "surprising" or "amazing" us with even a single road that is pothole-free. It has never surprised or amazed us with clean toilets, well-maintained hospitals or something as basic of running water either. Its bright idea involved penguins!

Animal activists had warned BMC repeatedly, but failed to convince them about the sheer stupidity of the plan. However, this in't surprising because common sense has long been banned at the offices of that august institution.

Dory's death reminded me about another animal whose misfortune it was to be confined at the Byculla Zoo. He was a rhinoceros named Shiva and, like so many people who now run our country, he had never had a mate in his life. He was brought to Mumbai from Assam at age 6, and spent the next 28 years of his life celibate. This made him violent, naturally, considering how celibacy also compels so many members of our political parties to act the way they do. Eventually, the Bombay High Court had to step in and order the zoo to find Shiva a mate.

Shiva was relocated to the National Zoological Park in New Delhi, which prompted protests from the MNS at the time - presumably because there were fewer Pakistani actors for it to focus on. Shiva's story didn't have, um, a happy ending. He died after battling cancer and organ failure caused by a tumour on his snout. Zoo authorities added 'old age' to the list, but I'm not sure who it is they think they are kidding.

Here's something to think about in the aftermath of Dory, Shiva and the countless other mishaps involving unnamed animals. The 700 fish, for instance, that died within the first five months of renovation of the Taraporevala Aquarium. As for the Byculla Zoo, it will supposedly get another 10 animals as part of a R150-crore revamp plan approved by the Central Zoo Authority in 2012.

I recently came across a report which stated that the company awarded the contract for the zoo's infamous penguin enclosure had told BMC it had a Joint Venture with an American firm specialising in aquatic exhibits. Only, no such pact existed. The company only built roads! BMC shouldn't be allowed to have control over the lives of animals, birds, fish or even flowers. Considering its poor track record when it comes to taking care of human beings, it shouldn't be allowed to have any sort of control over anything. All it should be allowed to do is launch weekly committees to discuss the renaming of our streets.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com