India's first Humboldt penguin dies at Mumbai zoo
25th August, 2018Category:
Barely a week after it was hatched on 15th August at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan va Pranisangrahalaya, popularly known as Byculla zoo, India's first Humboldt penguin died due to new-born anomalies like yolk sac retention and liver dysfunction, as per the postmortem report. The zoo authorities quoted a study which said that the first three months were crucial for the survival of a penguin chick and that the mortality for chicks that were under the age of three months was 30 to 35 per cent.
The Humboldt Penguins, acquired for Rs 2 crore, belong to a species found on the chilly coasts of Peru and Chile, and have a life-span of around 25 years. Eight Humboldt Penguins, three males, three females and two babies — later named as Dory, Donald, Daisy, Popeye, Olive, Bubble, Flipper and Mr Molt — were imported from the South Korean zoo on 26 July, 2016. One female, Dory could not survive and died on 23 October following a bacterial infection during the period of acclimatization, and remain the top attraction of the Mumbai Zoo.
Read More: The Times of India, The Hindu, First Post