Mumbai: Visitors to Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan also known as Byculla Zoo are drawn to the enclosure where penguin chicks Oreo, one-year-old, and Oscar, nine-month-old are housed. The two enjoy celebrity-like popularity and don’t seem to mind the attention. They are always ready for a pose and cast a cute spell on the visitors by greeting them.
But have you ever wondered what life would be like for their keepers who get to spend a significant time taking care of these popular chicks?
According to the penguin keepers, looking after Oreo and Oscar, the youngest members of the Humboldt penguin family of nine has become the ‘highlight’ of their careers.
Dr Madhumita Kale, who heads the team of six members, looking after the penguins shared, “Oreo’s birth a year ago was the highlight of my time at the zoo. It was an important event as the penguins showed us that they are happy and comfortable in the environment we have created for them and that they feel secure with us. Otherwise, they would not have given birth and brought a baby into this environment.”
Oreo was born to the penguin pair Daisy and Donald on May 1, 2021. On Sunday last week, he celebrated his first birthday at the Byculla Zoo. His parents are now 7.5 years old. Just three months after Oreo’s birth, on August 19, 2021, Oscar was born to the penguin pair Flipper, who is now 8.5 years old, and Molt, who is now 7-years-old.
Dr Kale has been the Humboldth penguins’ vet since they first arrived in Mumbai in July 2016 and heads the team of three vets and three zookeepers. The team looks after the penguins in three shifts of eight hours each, round the clock.
The vets monitor these penguins day and night, and take note of any changes in their routine or behaviour. “We watch them 24/7 with no breaks and make note of changes in their behaviour. If the size of their diet changes, if they are low on energy, or unusually quiet, we check up on them,” informed Dr Ashwini Bhosle, who is part of Dr Kale’s veterinary team.
The three in-house vets interact with the penguins three to four times a day. They feed the penguins three meals a day, at 9 am, 3 pm, and 6 pm which includes a variety of fish. Vets also organise entertainment exercises and games for the penguins, such as using laser beams for them to chase around.
Each penguin and team members have built a bond over time. “Working with them keeps me happy,” said Dr Bhosale and shared, “They are interactive and recognise us. They approach us when we enter the enclosure. If a new person accompanies us, they keep their distance.”
The penguin keepers clean their enclosure twice a day, with supervision from the vets. The penguins are kept in the accommodation chamber adjoining the enclosure during the cleaning routine.
Dr Kale said, “The penguins are now used to their routine, so they enter the accommodation chamber on their own when it is time for cleaning. Sometimes, we have to lure them inside using laser beams, and at other times they follow one of the vets inside.” Zoo keepers also clean the fish and bring it to the enclosure.
Since the time Oreo and Oscar were born, the vets have had to work twice as hard. “The parents feed the chicks for a few months. It differs case to case, but usually, they take care of their chicks for up to three months and then leave them alone. We had to teach Oreo and Oscar to swim, to identify their food, and to eat it, all without upsetting the parents,” Dr Kale said.
Oreo’s father Donald was protective of his chick during the first few months and would be angry at Oreo if he began to leave his nest to interact with the other members of this family. Their bonding is now almost gone, Dr Kale said, and Oscar has become friendly with Bubble, a seven-year-old penguin who was part of the group of eight penguins, brought to Mumbai in 2016. Bubble is the only penguin who does not have a partner. “Oreo and Bubble play and swim together. Sometimes Oscar joins them,” Dr Kale said.
All six members of Dr Kale’s team have joined over the past year, as older members left. Each of them had to spend time with the penguins to get to know them and earn their trust. “They are interactive with those who feed them, but each vet has had to work hard to make the penguins feel comfortable in our company. Penguins vocalise when they are pleased or upset, so we are able to recognise how they feel.” Dr Kale said.
Dr Sanjay Tripathy, director of Byculla Zoo said, “It is heartening to see the family grow bigger. Administration-wise, the zoo’s revenue has increased manifold. In the past four months, we have earned revenue equal to ten months of pre-Covid times, partly because of the penguins, and partly because of the expansion plans at the zoo.”