In a span of seven years, the number of penguins at Byculla Zoo has increased from eight to 15, prompting the zoo’s eagerness to engage in penguin exchanges with other zoos across the country.

However, despite trying for several months, the response has been ice cold. This has been attributed to the substantial enclosure and maintenance costs. The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Park and Zoo initially acquired eight penguins, comprising three males and five females, from the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, in 2016. Driven by an increase in penguin numbers, the zoo sought to adhere to the Central Zoo Authority’s guidelines, which encourage exchanges of animals between zoos. Dr Sanjay Tripathi, said, “Every zoo in the country declares the names of animals they can exchange with other zoos, and we are interested in obtaining crocodiles, gharials, turtles, and other animals.” Regrettably, the zoo has not yet received any responses from other zoos in India after nearly five months.