Story at a glance
- Six of nine African penguins at an Indiana zoo have died after battling avian malaria.
- One of the zoo’s African penguins, Flash, began exhibiting symptoms of an illness Oct. 24 and died four days later after a series of tests, the zoo said.
- The other eight penguins began showing symptoms after Flash’s death.
Six of nine African penguins at an Indiana zoo have died after battling avian malaria, zoo officials said.
“Avian malaria is one of the most significant causes of mortality in penguins, with rates as high as 50-90 percent. Despite the best efforts of our veterinarian and staff, who provided around the clock care administering anti-malarial medications and other intensive care measures, we were unable to stop the progression of the infections,” Columbian Park Zoo director Neil Dale said in a release.
One of the zoo’s African penguins, Flash, began exhibiting symptoms of an illness Oct. 24 and died four days later after a series of tests, the zoo said. A blood test returned Nov. 2 revealed exposure to plasmodium.
The zoo noted that avian malaria is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Plasmodium and transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitos.
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The other eight penguins began showing symptoms after Flash’s death, which include weakness, lethargy, and loss of appetite. The disease led to the five additional deaths of Raspberry, Zing, Chartreuse, Fozzie and Zip
“We’ve been working around the clock to save as many birds as possible,” Head Zookeeper Heather Woody said in the release. “Our animal care team is absolutely heartbroken that something like this happened after all the months of hard work and preparation, but our focus now has to be on doing everything we can to help our penguins.”
Penguin Cove opened to the public in July after several delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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