BMC officials claimed that they are clueless as to why people were protesting when everything was finalised as per rules and regulation.
Even as animal lovers who are miffed over BMC procuring and bringing Humboldt penguins, at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale (VJB) Zoo have decided to go ahead and protest outside the zoo on Saturday, BMC officials claimed that they are clueless as to why people were protesting when everything was finalised as per rules and regulation.
Anand Siva, a Chembur resident and an animal lover who initiated the idea of the protest, said: "Our online campaign has garnered lot of support and we are expecting around 100 people to gather outside the zoo at 3.30pm on Saturday and demand no animals be brought here. All of us will also take a pledge that they will never visit a zoo in their lifetime," said Siva.
He claimed that when world over people were realising the futility and cruelty in keeping animals captive and demanding the closure of zoos, it's strange that Byculla Zoo was going ahead with new plans to import Humboldt Penguins, Otters and set up an aquarium that requires a mind boggling 2.4 million litre water.
"We have written to the environment minister explaining him how the zoo was not being able to care for existing animals and requested him to intervene," he said. A number of organisations, including FIAPO, Sanctuary, PETA, have been opposing BMC's plan to procure a total of eight Humboldt penguins that include three males and two females.
Meanwhile, Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of VJB Zoo, refuted the claim that the set up will require 2.4 million litre of water. "The penguin enclosure will be filled with 60,000 litre of water just once and post that every year annually 15,000 litre of water needs to be added keeping in mind the loss due to evaporation and other factors," he said, adding that these enclosures have system to recycle and filter water, that are used globally.
"We have clarified several times that these Humboldt penguins are not the ones living in freezing condition but they need a temperature of 12 degree Celsius to 18 degree Celsius and they are kept in several Zoo's across Asian countries. At VJB, too, we are setting up India's first international standard 1600 sqft enclosure for these penguins of which 400sqft will be a separate pool area to ensure they live comfortably and the required temperature can be maintained," he said.
He further clarified the penguins we have procured were from Coex Aquarium, Seoul in South Korea where these are bred in captivity and not from wild. "We have got permissions from all relevant authorities in India, including Central Zoo Authourity (CZA), and everything was being done under Association of Zoo and Aquarium (AZA) guidelines.," said Tripathi, adding that one can't keep pointing to the existing condition of the zoo as one has to understand that the makeover plan has been stuck for a while and was now underway.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Humboldt penguins")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}