In grief, penguin father protects the mom

MUMBAI: According to penguin trivia, these torpedo-shaped, seabirds are mostly monogamous through life. And once their eggs hatch they make for anxious parents who stay together sharing duties to take care of their chick until it is about 70 days old and independent enough to take charge of its own stride.

Unfortunately for Mr Molt and Flipper, the doting parents whose fuzzy little baby penguin hatched on Aug 15 at the Byculla Zoo and was hailed as the country’s first penguin birth plus a “remarkable achievement” for Indian zoo authorities, passed away unexpectedly before it could be named, its gender identified or before it could simply open its eyes to the world.



Loss and grief reflected in the animal kingdom can be particularly tragic. In what was perhaps the most heart breaking moment when Molt and Flipper’s baby departed, the father remained gently hunched over his chick keeping it warm because it’s all he had to offer while Flipper paced up and down the nest. But it was far too late.

Instinctively, both parents refused to quit their baby’s side or move from the nesting area until the Humboldt Penguin Management vet team managed to coax, cajole and carry each of them away. “They both appeared very distressed after their chick was removed,” recalled Madhumita Kale, head of the Humboldt Penguin Management veterinary team as she recounted the manner in which Molt and Flipper vocalised their emotions with a loud bleating sound. It was almost surreal in the way the penguin parents’ were mourning the death of their chick like two humans mourning their child.

Molt, the youngest and also reputed as the naughtiest among the waddle of seven penguins housed in the zoo is also the most “mature and responsible” of them all, it turns out. “Molt seems to have figured out their misfortune and turned very protective of Flipper,” explained Kale narrating how all of Thursday night Molt had kept guard around the nest and managed to shoo away Flipper every time his female companion trundled over.

Flipper who was a picture of misery since the passing of her chick has been showing signs of improvement since Friday morning but continues to carry around a pebble and often sits on it trying to keep it warm, just like she did with her baby. “Molt has turned normal but Flipper still seems to feel that her chick is unattended. They spent two months in courtship, nesting and then 40 days incubating before their egg hatched. After investing so much of themselves, they wake up one morning to an empty nest, it’s very heart breaking,” said Kale but reassured: “Their future isn’t bleak. They’ve shown good nesting behaviour which means they’re a good breeding pair and will make excellent parents.”

As precautionary measure, an artificial incubator had been kept ready for the eggs and later an ICU was set up after the chick was born in case the parents could not carry out their tasks. “But the parents were taking such great care of the baby that we decided not to interfere,” explained Kale.

The seabirds, the vets believe, should bounce back in a week. Till then the vet team is keeping them engaged in laser light and ball games. And then there’s always that friend in need. For Molt and Flipper, it’s Bubble who insists on flapping around the grieving parents. “He tags along with them wherever they go and keeps them distracted. It’s helping,” smiled Kale.