Humbolt penguins were brought to Byculla zoo from South Korea
For now, it is known as the "Freedom Baby". Mumbai's Byculla zoo welcomed the first penguin to be born in India on Independence Day at 8 pm.
"Flipper", one of the eight Humbolt penguins brought to Byculla zoo, had laid an egg on July 5 after mating with "Molt", another of the penguins.
Over the last few days, Flipper went without food to sit on her egg and took breaks only when her partner stepped in.
"The 40-day incubation period ended on Wednesday and the egg hatched in the evening," said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of Byculla zoo.
Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, who was instrumental in getting the penguins to Byculla zoo, shared the news on Twitter, calling it the "Freedom Baby" as it was born on Independence Day.
"We have some great news coming in from Rajmata Jijamaya Udyaan (Byculla Zoo)!... The parents and the chic are doing well. My congratulations to all those involved in this process, especially Dr. Tripathi & his team and Sudhir Naik ji!" Aaditya Thackeray tweeted.
Aaditya Thackeray had promoted the project to bring the penguins to Mumbai zoo from Seoul, South Korea. Even in the face of criticism, the tiny colony of penguins was brought to Byculla zoo in June 2016.
The death of one of the penguins had led to immense criticism. But with the birth of the penguin, zoo authorities will have some relief as questions had been raised about the feasibility of the penguins surviving in tropical weather.