Zoo needs more cops to man crowds

Mumbai: With over 20,000 visitors flocking to Byculla zoo every day to see its newest and most popular inmates, the seven Humboldt penguins, it has become increasingly difficult to manage the crowd and maintain the enclosure. So much so that zoo authorities have now approached the police to deploy 20 to 25 police personnel for this task, especially since vacation season is underway.

Zoo director Dr Sanjay Tripathi confirmed the development, saying, ‘I am worried as it is just a few days since opening and already, I am seeing a huge crowd. On Friday too, the zoo was a packed house with over 20,000 people turning up to see the penguins. It is getting difficult to manage the crowd and I have written to the higher authority asking for deployment of 25 to 30 police personnel here to control the crowd.”

One of the visitors who came specially to see the penguins said, “I have come with my family from West Bengal just to see these penguins and we are standing in queue for two hours now.”

Dr Neha Shah who looks after the penguins said, “Managing large crowds is not easy. Last Sunday, the zoo had around 40,000 visitors, while on Saturday, there were 24,000 visitors. We urged the crowd to behave, but no one was ready to listen once the gates were opened.”

In one particular incident, a few women fell down and could have been seriously injured with the crowd going berserk.