Visit Byculla zoo this World Penguin Day
Visit Byculla zoo this World Penguin Day
Where it all started
Under its revamp project, the Byculla zoo bought 8 Humboldt penguins from Seoul, South Korea on July 26, 2016, at the cost of Rupees 45 crore
Photo Courtesy: AFP
About the penguins
The 8 penguins were namely Bubble, Mr Molt, Donald, Daisy, Popeye, Olive, Dory and Flipper. Sadly, in October 2016, Dory succumbed to a bacterial infection
Photo Courtesy: iStock
In March 2017, the remaining 7 penguins were put up for public display. This boosted the number of visitors visiting the zoo
Photo Courtesy: Mid-day
The zoo had four female penguins and three male penguins, and six of them had already paired up
Photo Courtesy: AFP
A home built for their comfort
Then newly brought penguins were kept in a quarantine facility where temperatures are maintained at 16-18 degrees Celsius
Photo Courtesy: AFP
To make them feel at home, artists created an exhibit area using rocks and also built 400 sq ft pool in the zoo as similar to the penguins’ natural habitat
Photo Courtesy: Mid-day
The toughest challenge was to erect the glass panel weighing 1,500 kg through which people could see the penguins. The entire process took around 11 days
Photo Courtesy: AFP
New members of the family
The total count of Humboldt penguins at the zoo currently stands at 12. In 2021, a male chick named Oreo was hatched
Photo Courtesy: Ashish Raje
In April 2022, three new penguin chicks namely Flash, Bingo and Alexa were hatched. Another single chick was hatched in August
File Photo: PTI
To spend some time with the penguins at the zoo, you can book your ticket from the Zoo’s official website
Photo Courtesy: AFP
Celebrity spotting at airport