India's first Humboldt Penguins reach Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo

Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo, known as Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, on 26 July 2016 brought in eight Humboldt penguins from Soul, South Korea.

The step has, however, not gone down well with wildlife experts who termed it as wasteful and unnecessary.

The eight Humboldt penguins, three males and five females, will be open for public view in the next three to four months.

The birds have been kept in a specially designed 1700 sq ft air conditioning chamber. They will be given special attention and consideration to understand their biological needs and behavioural patterns.

The newly arrived penguins are about one to three years old and weigh around 1 to 2.5 kgs. The weight is expected to reach 4-6 kgs after they are fully-grown. Their height, which is 12.15 cms now, will also increase to 65-70 cm.

About Humboldt penguin

• The Humboldt penguin is a South American penguin that breeds in coastal areas of Chile and Peru.

• The penguin is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is named after Alexander von Humboldt, an explorer.

• The species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

• Humboldt penguins are medium-sized penguins.

• They have a black head with a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, and joins at the throat.

• They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts.

• They have spines on their tongue which they use to hold their prey.

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