Humboldt Penguin, the first penguin chick born in Country, died early this week due to new born anomalies, dysfunctional liver and yolk sac retention (failure to absorb yolk).
It was exactly a week after the first penguin to be born in the country, emerged from a single egg that the parents had incubated for 40 days, died on Wednesday at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, also known as Byculla zoo, located in Mumbai.
The zoo authorities said the chick’s parents, Mr Molt and Flipper, had been providing good care to the newborn. “However, as a matter of surprise, the chick was found to be sinking despite good care by the parents on August 22,” said a statement issued by the zoo management.
Eight penguins – Daisy, Dory, Donald, Bubbles, Flipper, Olive, Popeye and Molt (five of them female) – were brought from Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, in July 2016.
These penguins in the Mumbai zoo are kept in a special enclosure which is spread across 1,700 sq ft where an average temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius is maintained. The water quality is regularly tracked and the penguins are fed various fish, including Indian Mackerels.
