Humboldt penguin dies in Mumbai zoo, three months after arrival from South Korea

Mumbai: A female humboldt penguin on Sunday died at the city zoo, barely three months after it was procured along with seven others from an aquarium in South Korea. The penguin, weighing around 3kg, showed symptoms of dullness, inappetance (shunning food), greenish stools and laboured breathing on 18 October. The bird was subjected to various medical tests and attended by a veterinary doctor, but could not survive, the zoo officials said. [caption id=“attachment_2947540” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Eight Humboldt penguins were brought to the Byculla zoo. News18[/caption] Eight penguins, including five females, were procured from Coex Aquarium in Seoul on 26 July and brought to Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (the zoo). The flightless birds were to be made available for public viewing from mid-November at the municipal corporation-run zoo at Byculla. These birds have been kept in a quarantine facility at the zoo under 16 to 18 degrees Celsius temperature as per international standards, the officials said in a release. “The (ill) bird was immediately attended by a veterinary doctor and its stools were examined. A culture sensitivity test was also conducted which found the presence of gram-negative bacteria. Accordingly, appropriate treatment was started in consultation with an exotic birds specialist,” the statement said. “The bird, however, did not respond to the treatment and on 19 October, a blood test was conducted which showed elevated liver values,” it added. The zoo authorities said X-ray and ultrasonography tests were also conducted in which no specific observations were noticed in the penguin. “The bird did not respond to treatment and died today at 8.17 am. A post-mortem was conducted by Mumbai Veterinary College in Parel,” it stated. The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem report comes in. Meanwhile, the seven other Humboldt penguins are healthy and under observation, the officials said.