Officials of Veermata Jijabai Bhosale (VJB) Zoo are keeping their fingers crossed. If all goes well, Mumbai will soon welcome its first penguin chick this week, which will also be the first penguin to be born in captivity in the country.
As per Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Director, VJB Zoo, the eggs hatch after 40 to 45 days. "The egg laid by Flipper — the four and half year old Humboldt penguin — will complete 40 days on August 15. So obviously we are very excited and hope that we have a good news to share soon," he said.
Early morning on July 5, the penguin caretakers realised that the nest built by Molt and Flipper finally had a single egg, after a very long period of courtship.
"Though both Flipper and Molt are first-time parents, they are taking excellent care of the eggs. Mummy Flipper spends the maximum time — 36 to 48 hours at a stretch — incubating the eggs, followed by daddy Molt, who also incubates the eggs diligently," said Dr Madhumita Kale, Head Veterinarian and in charge of the penguin enclosure.
She informed that they have been constantly monitoring the weight of both Flipper and Molt and ensuring that they get proper nutrition, especially Flipper. "We have been monitoring their health and food habits and they have been eating well; so everything is under control," said Kale.
The busy parents mostly keep to themselves and when Flipper is incubating the eggs, Molt doesn't allow other penguins to go nearby informed one of the caretakers.
Meanwhile, experts claim that merely laying eggs doesn't ensure that there will be a chick. "At times, the eggs can turn out to be infertile too. That apart, even when a chick is born, its survival depends on a host of factors, including how well both parents take care of it," said an expert veterinarian.
The penguin enclosure at the zoo is home to seven penguins, who have also formed pairs. While Molt and Flipper were the first to pair up, Donald and Daisy, and Popeye and Olive followed suit, leaving female Bubble alone.
A total of eight humboldt penguins — three males and five females — were brought from Seoul to the Byculla zoo on July 26, 2016. However, one of them, Dory, died on October 23, 2016, of a bacterial infection.
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