Fox breaks into Edinburgh Zoo and KILLS its oldest penguin Mrs Wolowitz
- Mrs Wolowitz died aged 35 following the incident on Wednesday night
- The zoo said that none of the other penguins in the colony were harmed
- The Northern Rockhopper was thought to be the oldest of her kind in the world
The oldest penguin at Edinburgh Zoo has died after she was attacked by a fox which broke into her enclosure.
Mrs Wolowitz, a Northern Rockhopper, died aged 35 following the incident on Wednesday night.
The zoo said that none of the other penguins in the colony were harmed and are doing well.
Mrs Wolowitz, a Northern Rockhopper, died aged 35 following an attack from a fox
The Northern rockhopper, thought to be the oldest of her kind in the world, celebrated her 35th birthday in May this year.
A Northern rockhoppers life expectancy in the wild is 10 to 15 years, and around 20 years in captivity.
The endangered species have witnessed a rapid population decrease over the past 30 years, largely due to their biggest threat climate change.
In a social media post late on Thursday, the zoo said: ‘We know so many of you loved Mrs Wolowitz, our oldest penguin.
‘Sadly, we lost her last night after a fox broke into our penguin enclosure. Thankfully, the rest of our colony are unharmed and are doing well.
‘Her massive personality will be missed.’
Tributes to Mrs Wolowitz quickly poured in on Twitter.
One user said: ‘Awwww noooo! Not Mrs Wolowitz! We always looked for her in her favourite spot when we came to visit.’
Another added: ‘Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with everyone especially Dawn, Lorna and all the keepers who looked after her. She will be missed.’
The zoo said its expert teams check the enclosures daily for signs of damage but there is always a risk that wild animals will break in.
It added: ‘We are looking at what we can do to further reinforce the boundary.’
The penguins’ rock colony at the zoo is home to three species, with more than 100 penguins.
Northern Rockhopper Penguins
- Rockhoppers can be distinguished by their thin yellow crest that extends behind their red eyes
- They also have black spiked feathers above their chest
- They are among the smallest penguins in the world
- They are 41-46cm in size and 2.5kg in weight
- They feed off fish, squid and krill
- They most commonly have a lifespan on 10 to 20 years
- The preferred nesting sites are steep rocky gullies, above approaches into deep water
- Approximately 85 percent of the Northern Rockhopper Penguin’s global population is found in the South Atlantic Ocean
Source: Read Full Article