Deadly penguin illness at Calgary Zoo linked to parasite

By Clara Ho, Calgary Herald August 21, 2013

 

 

A Humboldt Penguin swims in the Penguin Plunge exhibit at the Calgary Zoo.

Photograph by: Stuart Gradon , Calgary Herald

A parasite carried by cats may be to blame for an illness that killed two Humboldt penguins and sickened a third at the Calgary Zoo last week.

Initially, zoo staff believed an infection from the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci led to the deaths of Guillermo and Juntos, both three years old.

New test results now lean toward Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease spread through the inhalation of cat feces, said general curator Jamie Dorgan, though he cautioned additional testing is required to confirm the cause of death.

“(Toxoplasmosis) can be spread a variety of ways. A person with cat feces on their feet comes into the exhibit, feral cats that we occasionally get at the zoo, or cats finding their way from Bridgeland or Inglewood,” Dorgan said.

Guillermo was the first penguin to fall ill. As staff started treating him, Juntos began to exhibit symptoms.
At that point, zoo staff put all of the birds that had been with Guillermo and Juntos in the Penguin Plunge’s outdoor exhibit on preventive antifungal and anti-bacterial therapy.

Those birds — eight Humboldts and two Gentoos — were separated, and continue to be kept apart, from the penguins that had not been in contact with the sick birds, to prevent the spread of disease.
Guillermo and Juntos could not be saved. A third Humboldt penguin, JJ, also became sick but has recovered.

Currently, no other birds are showing symptoms and all appear to be doing well, Dorgan said.
Zoo staff have also implemented stricter measures to prevent the spread of the illness, which included wearing smocks over their uniforms and adding more disinfectant foot baths.

As a general rule, staff don’t walk through the exhibits wearing the same shoes they wear at home and also keep their uniforms at work, Dorgan said.

“It’s a bit of a trade-off when you have animals in outdoor exhibits,” he said. “We want them outside to be exposed to the sunshine, but that also means they can be exposed to wild birds. But we’re not comfortable locking them up in padded rooms either.”

He said zoo staff will wait until more test results come in to see if they need to review their current biosecurity practices.

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