Want to see a Penguin commit Filial Cannibalism? You won't see that here.

Within the last few days, a video has made an appearance on the net that screams out the following:

"Watch: Penguin eats own young in Heilongjiang Zoo"

FYI, that video will not be shown here. This blog will not be a platform for filial infanticide or filial cannibalism. I've seen other birds do it, mammals, amphibians, fish and insects, too. The offspring is devoured for several other reasons:

1) in order to ingest precious calories in the form of a deformed or dying offspring and to ensure the survival of the parent so that reproduction will occur again in the future.

2) in order to ward of predators to a nest that may also contain a healthy offspring. Nothing says "come hither" to a hungry predator than a dying or a decaying offspring.


3) Stress. If a parent feels as if the nest or birthing area is under severe threat, then infanticide and cannibalism will occur.

4) If the offspring is the result of mating from too close of kin, then the offspring probably will be devoured.


5) In mammals, if a new male takes over a herd or group of animals formerly dominated by another male, gravid females often reabsorb the embryo or abort it in order to prevent the new male from killing it when it's born. That's called the "Bruce Effect."




6) Some females will kill their offspring in order to mate with a different male, but this is not the case in penguins.


7) Filial infanticide occurs in certain human cultures, but is definitely the result of mental illness in civilized humans.
 

In the case of the penguin in question, I firmly blame the zookeepers for doing a lousy job in preventing this terrible act from occurring. If the chick was sickly, then it should have been removed immediately. If the mother was under stress, then what the hell were these imbiciles thinking by stressing her out?


Regardless, the culprits here are the keepers at the Heilongjian Zoo and I hope they never ever keep another penguin again. SHAME on you people for taping it when you should've been trying to save that chick!!