Byculla zoo reopens, Penguin chicks star attraction

The unnamed chick made its first public appearance after staying inside the nest with the parents – Flipper, the oldest female among the Humboldts, and the youngest male penguin in the zoo, Mr Molt.

The zoo reopened after being shut for eight months following the second Covid wave, with social distancing measures in place and restrictions on visitors. The zoo ensured that crowds were spread out across the day, and handles and surfaces were disinfected regularly.

There were 1,621 visitors, and the revenue collected was Rs 68,725. The number of visitors was less compared to pre-Covid times – when the number would be 5,000-6,000 people on weekdays and up to 15,000 on weekends.

After being shut for almost a year, Byculla zoo had opened in February and received 11,000 visitors over the first weekend. On day one in February, 1,419 persons visited and the revenue collected was Rs 69,600.

By mid-morning on Monday, the zoo was buzzing. The two penguin chicks born this year were the star attractions.

The Royal Bengal tiger pair was among the biggest attractions. They had shown signs of missing human presence and interaction, said officials.

The leopards Drogone and Pinto, the newest inhabitants of the zoo, were seen walking near the glass end of their exhibit.

Staffers said it was interesting to monitor how the animals’ behaviour changed during the lockdowns. While the birds, deer and penguins enjoyed the solitary environment, the more social animals including monkeys, and even tigers and leopards, were apparently missing human interaction.

At the penguin enclosures, the two penguin chicks had gone back to their nests, but the seven adult Humbold penguins entertained visitors as they swam, walked and posed inside their air-conditioned enclosure.