It’s been only three months since their controversial arrival and their survival in Mumbai already seems bleak. The precious and controversial Humboldt penguins have lost one female member of their group. 18-month-old Dory is said to have died from liver dysfunction and intestinal infection on Sunday morning. The infamous Byculla zoo which is called ‘a place where animals go to die’ has claimed yet another life.
The official press release by the zoo authorities states that Dory died of bacterial infection and was showing signs of appetite loss, laboured breathing, greenish stool and dullness since October 18. Vets and experts were called and many treatments were sought but Dory did not respond to any of them and eventually breathed her last. A complete forensic report is being sought by the zoo authorities.

Hindustan Times reported that, “the exotic bird specialist suggested an X-ray and an ultra-sonography test for further diagnosis. “The tests were conducted on October 22, but no specific observations were reported. We consulted another avian specialist who examined the bird and modified the treatment by adding new medicines,” said Dr. Tripathi (Zoo Director). “Even this did not help and the bird finally succumbed to the ailment on Sunday. The final cause of death will be revealed after a detailed forensic analysis,” he explained.
Activists had warned the Municipal corporation and the political parties of the impending damage to the animals and the city if the penguins were brought. Originating from Chile and Peru, these penguins swim in the Humboldt current of the ocean. The penguins in Mumbai were bred in South Korea and travelled miles to be an exhibit for the city. Mumbai Mirror reported that, “the Rs 69-crore project, which also involves construction of an aquarium and a tunnel leading to it, was first proposed in 2009.”
Mirror also reported in another article that, “Doctors who checked on them named them after cartoon characters: Bubble, Dory, Olive, Daisy, Flipper, Popeye, Donald and Mr Molt.” 20 crores have already been spent to make the lives of penguins easier and one has already died. The Central Zoo Authority recently stated that the zoo didn’t meet their required standards and failing to adhere to them might shut the zoo down. The CZA had also reported that over 150 animals had died in the zoo from 2010 to 2011 and subsequently other animals, including a Hippo and three lions had died.

How long before the authorities realize that these are actual lives and not cartoon characters? Anand Siva, an animal welfare activist, who reported about the ill-preparedness of the zoo for the penguins, was disappointed. He has been a consistent voice of reason and dissent when it comes to bringing penguins to the zoo and brought considerable media attention the cause. “I believe the penguin has died from water contamination. I had already said that we will start losing penguins as the summer season begins in Mumbai from February. The stress of more than 100 eyes looking at them would also create problems. The penguins were supposed to arrive in Mumbai in October around this time and we had begun protesting in July. My guess is that the penguins were brought on 26th July for Uddhav Thackeray’s birthday as a present just three days after our protest. The zoo had not finished their work and the sanctuary needed at least two more months to be ready,” he said.
Siva also said that we do not have talented or experienced people that know how to deal with penguins. He said that penguins live upto 20-22 years in captivity and Dory was just 18 months. “You cannot create a Chile or Peru in Bombay. The Humboldt current, the soil, their habitat has been snatched away. The third party appointed to take care of the penguins is like a nanny. You can’t blame them if you didn’t pay attention. When you were buying them from the breeding centre in South Korea, the zoo authorities should have put their foot down and said that we are not capable of taking care of these delicate animals and we don’t have the facilities or the infrastructure. The plans of bringing the penguin have been in the party manifesto for so long. If politicians think that we will be the only city in the country to have penguins and if the whole world can have them, why can’t we? They are mistaken. Now, you are also the only city that has lost a penguin in three months of its arrival,” he said.

He blames everybody for the mishap. “Everybody is responsible but they will not admit it. Corruption, abuse of power and using public money because you run the municipal corporation are just some of the reasons for this. You can’t keep penguins in a dilapidated zoo for your whims and fancies. These penguins can’t be returned to their natural habitat because they haven’t developed surviving skills for such a place. They can’t be sent back to the breeders because they will just be used for breeding. We need to find a better sanctuary for them,” he said.
Siva also said that it is not an animal rights debate but a peoples problem. “25 tonnes Air conditioning is being used to control temperature for them. You are spending 8 crores per year on their maintenance and to keep them alive, which clearly you haven’t been able to do. We cancelled the IPL because of the lack of water in our state and farmers are dying in our country. Thousands of litres of water is being used for 8 penguins that don’t even belong here. A man with Rs. 12,000 per month salary comes to visit a zoo, what has the government done for him. If you want Mumbai to be a world class city, check if your people are happy and they have basic facilities. Children are dying of dengue and malaria. We are fighting over movie releases. The city is bursting at its seams. We need a better life and infrastructure, we need clean air to breath, not penguins,” he said.

Siva was of the opinion that the Byculla zoo is better as a dumping ground or a metro rail car shed. “It will work well as a dumping ground for building debris. You could turn it into a botanical garden where children can learn about different types of trees and not what a caged animal looks like. We need to breathe clean air before dying of asthma in this city,” he said.
The eight penguins that were brought were between the age of one to three years old and the remaining seven are said to be stable. They are healthy and under observation. The zoo is planning a mid-November launch for the public at the interpretation center. “Sources from the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo said that following the post-mortem report, it will be seen whether the penguin had health issues before being brought to Mumbai . “We had already spoken to the contractor regarding such a problem and depending on the report, we will be asking them to send us another penguin from South Korea as a replacement,” A zoo official told Hindustan Times.
Siva said that bringing penguins to Mumbai was like building a stadium for baseball in the city. “You can have many fancy ideas but the government needs to be practical. These are not chinese goods you can return if you don’t like them. These are lives,” he said.
Anand Siva is on his way to take a legal recourse and approach sanctuaries around the world to take them to a better environment. “I was going to approach sanctuaries abroad after the Christmas break but I failed the penguins. I am so disappointed in myself. I am ashamed I couldn’t do more. I am not a great person, but I believe in the power of people. I don’t believe in legal justice much. If the people of the city come together and demand their rights and demand for the penguins to be sent to a better place, they can change the courts judgement. People have the power to change the verdict and they are the only hope,” he said.
The final decision lies with the tax payers and their silence over the misuse of their hard earned money. Read more here and here.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP (For representational purposes only)