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The Calgary Zoo is launching an investigation after seven Humboldt penguins were found dead at the back holding area of the Penguin Plunge exhibit.

7 penguins found dead at back of Calgary Zoo exhibit


Daksha Rangan
Digital Reporter

Friday, December 9, 2016, 1:56 PM - The Calgary Zoo is launching an investigation after seven Humboldt penguins were found dead at the back holding area of the Penguin Plunge exhibit.

Necropsies completed by the zoo's veterinary team have determined the cause of death to be drowning.

"This is devastating news," Jamie Dorgan, director animal care at the Zoo, said in a statement. "We have launched a full investigation so we can try to understand what happened and prevent further incidents like this from happening again."

Dorgan told CTV News Calgary that the birds might have been in a panic before drowning.

“It seems to be some stressor led to these birds going into some kind of panic and having something occur to make them just so panicked," Dorgan said to CTV News. "But it’s hard to say what would’ve triggered that."

According to the Zoo's statement, the back holding area is commonly used to house the penguins. The zookeepers reportedly checked on the penguins at around 4 p.m. local time Wednesday. By roughly 7 a.m. on Thursday, seven of the penguins were found floating in the pool, lacking vital signs.

Twenty-two birds were a part of the Humboldt colony, with three other species residing in the Penguin Plunge, including kings, gentoos, and rockhopper penguins.

Check back for updates as this story unfolds.


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Related: Beloved elephant dies at the Oklahoma City Zoo. See below for the full story.

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