September 6th 2023.
Mumbai's civic body, the BMC, has spent an astonishing Rs29.43 crore on the maintenance of penguins at the Byculla Zoo since October 2018. This information was obtained under the Right to Information Act on July 2023.
The BMC has spent Rs2.47 crore to procure and transport the birds to the zoo, which is officially called The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan. Even more surprisingly, the municipality has also spent nearly Rs20 crore on enclosures for animals - such as lions, wolves and otters - that it is yet to procure. Specifically, Rs8.25 crore has been spent on a lion enclosure, Rs7.15 crore on a wolf enclosure and Rs3.82 crore on an otter enclosure.
This information was obtained by RTI applicant Jeetendra Ghadge, who expressed shock at the discrepancy between the cost of housing animals and the cost of housing average Mumbai residents. "In a city where an average Mumbaikar struggles to afford a home for 50lakh, it is baffling to comprehend how animals reside in multi-crore enclosures. This discrepancy is hard to digest," Ghadge said.
The Superintendent of Garden could not be contacted for comment on this matter. World Penguin Day is coming up, and it's worth noting the interesting facts about the aquatic bird, such as how they have three layers of feathers and can hold their breath for up to 22 minutes.
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