Mumbai: As penguins multiply, so does cost of their upkeep

The next three-year contract for the maintenance of penguins at the Byculla Zoo has risen by 25 per cent as against the previous 10 per cent rise

Cost of maintenance of the penguin enclosure at Byculla Zoo has risen by 25 per cent compared to the previous contract. Now the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will spend Rs 20 crore for three years. Currently, there are 18 penguins at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo. BMC appointed a contractor for regular maintenance of the penguin enclosure and to take care of the flightless birds. On the previous occasion, BMC appointed a contractor for R15 crore for three years. Now, BMC has invited tenders for the next three years for Rs 20 crore. Sources claim the cost of the tender usually rises by around 10 to 12 per cent after every three years. But this time the cost of the tender has risen by 25 per cent.

The official of the zoo said the cost of tender rose due to growing penguin numbers. “Usually the cost of tender increases by 10 per cent after three years. But now as the number of penguins has increased, so has the cost. There are now 18 penguins in the zoo,” the official said. This contract includes the maintenance of the enclosure and provide food, doctors, engineers and other facilities for the penguins,” the official added.

In 2017, Byculla Zoo was the first to introduce penguins in India. BMC procured eight Humboldt penguins. Now the number of penguins has reached 18 comprising 10 females and 8 males. With the increasing population of penguins at the zoo, the attempts by the zoo officials to hand over the surplus penguins to other zoos in India have not yielded any result. Zoo officials feel that the penguins have become the identity of the zoo. The revenue for the zoo was R2.10 crore in the three year period of 2014-2017. Whereas in 2023, the revenue from the zoo reached R12 crore. This year BMC earned R5.91 crore as revenue from the zoo. 

Eighteen
No. of penguins in zoo today

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