New attraction at Byculla zoo: Penguin chicks, tiger cubs

Mumbai's Byculla Zoo welcomes five new arrivals - two tiger cubs and three penguin chicks. Visitors are urged not to disturb the animals by banging on glass partitions.

Mumbai: It’s time for tiny happy penguin feet and cute roars of tiger cubs as the Veermata Jijabai Bhosle Botanical Garden and Zoo commonly called the Byculla Zoo has five new arrivals — three penguin chicks and two tiger cubs.

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The Royal Bengal Tiger pair Shakti, 7, and Karishma, 9, birthed two cubs Jai and Rudra on November 4 last year. Meanwhile, three penguin chicks — Dora, Siri and Nemo — were also born in Byculla zoo.

Both Shakti and Karishma were shifted to Byculla Zoo from Siddharth Zoo in Chhattrapati Sambhajinagar in Aurangabad on February 11, 2020. The two cubs will be kept with Karishma for two years and are being fed the same meat as the mother.

The zoo houses four pairs of male and female penguins. Donald and Daisy gave birth to Dora (female) on February 21, Molt and Flipper birthed Siri (female) on October 2 last year. Papaya and Olive gave birth to Nemo on December 13 last year. Oreo and Bubble are still waiting to become parents.

All the chicks are under the care of Dr Madhumita Kale and are being fed fish and bumble bees. They were being fed by parents earlier, but they feed from the pond on their own now. Tourists and visitors will now be able to see these five new arrivals at the zoo.

The zoo authorities have appealed to visitors not to bang on the glass partition to attract their attention as it disrupts their daily living.