CALGARY – The Calgary Zoo has confirmed the death of one of their penguins.
Officials say a female gentoo penguin named Fiona died in December, after swallowing a foot-long stick inside the Penguin Plunge enclosure.
Surgery had been performed on the penguin to remove the stick, but she developed an abscess in her throat a short time after the operation and passed away eight days later.
Officials say there was no foul play or error by zoo staff, and are calling the fatality an accident.
Some are concerned it took the zoo so long to notify the public about Fiona’s death, but officials say they don’t send out a news released for every death they have.
“It’s impossible to do that, and be able to run a zoo in a normal way,” says zoo curator Jamie Dorgan. “The hospital doesn’t send out a press release every time somebody dies there.”
This isn’t the first time the issue has come up. When a grey owl died at the Calgary Zoo last September, resulting in disciplinary action against some employees, the zoo didn’t reveal those details for eight weeks.
Officials say they will notify the public about animal events that are significant or out of the ordinary, or involve iconic exhibits.
With files from Gary Bobrovitz
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