Mumbai: BMC christens three penguin chicks at Byculla Zoo

Mumbai's Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, popularly known as Byculla Zoo, has christened three Humboldt penguins born at the facility in the last seven months, an official said on Saturday.

Since April, two males and one female chick were born at the zoo, which celebrates its 160th anniversary on Saturday, he said.

With the new arrivals, the penguin population had jumped to 12 at the zoo, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation stated in a release.

The male chicks, born on April 2 and 26, have been christened as Flash and Bingo respectively, while the female chick born on August 9, named Alexa, it stated.

Penguins Donald and Daisy gave birth to Flash and Alexa, while Bingo was born to Molt and Flipper, the release said.

The zoo, which was formerly known as Victoria Garden, was inaugurated by Lady Catherine Friar on November 19, 1862 at Byculla in central Mumbai.

After the park was handed over to the municipal corporation, it assumed the responsibility of the overall maintenance, the release stated.

At least eight penguins — three males and five females — were brought to the Byculla Zoo in 2016, and one of them died later.

The penguins had been procured from Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea.

The enclosure for penguins is spread over 1,800 sq ft and consists of a water pool, accommodation area, air handling units and a cooling system.

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