Stating that in the past 25 years nine hippos were born at the Jijamata Udyan and many exchange programmes were launched, the commissioner countered any fears of mismanagement at the zoo. “The fact that so many hippo births occurred here indicates good management of animals,” he said, adding, “We are supplying adequate food and drinking water to the animals as per the CZA directives.”

At the standing committee meeting on Friday, the commissioner announced the appointment of two senior veterinarian doctors— Dr Yuvraj Kaginkar of the BSPCA Hospital and Dr M S Karavale, the former vet of the zoo, as consulting vets on a contract basis. They will offer their services in addition to the existing zoo vets, Dr K N Kshirsagar and Dr Sanjay Tripathi, he said.

 Vikram Pawar, the deputy municipal commissioner, who supervises the Gardens and Zoo department, said that the doctors would conduct regular inspection of the zoo enclosures and make spontaneous suggestions on animal healthcare and hygiene in the closures.

 Pawar said, contrary to reports that appeared in certain sections of the media, it is not necessary to change water in the hippo’s watering holes twice a day. “We clean the water bodies in the hippo enclosures every week and replace the water two times a week according to norms. We have also checked with other zoos who have admitted to following the same standards.”  He added that the food chart for the animals was according to the Bombay Veterinary College specifications.