Penguins Die of Avian Malaria at Yagiyama Zoo

 

This is a sad story.  All four Humboldt penguins living at the Yagiyama Zoo in Sendai died last month of avian malaria, a mosquito-borne illness. The illness can progress rapidly with no symptoms to death. Iwate University was commissioned to investigate the cause of the deaths. The four died between July 9th and 19th, with no signs of illness until the day before their deaths. 

The zoo has no immediate plans to bring in new penguins. The zoo will investigate how to prevent a recurrence by redesigning the penguin enclosure to prevent the formation of puddles where mosquitos breed. 

Humboldt penguins are common in Japanese zoos because they are adapted better to warmer climates than penguins that come from Antarctica.