'Large number' of Longleat penguins die after malaria outbreak

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White House Correspondent

A “large number” of penguins have died in a malaria outbreak at Longleat safari park.

The park said a number of its captive-bred Humboldt penguins had died in the outbreak in which they contracted the avian strain of malaria from mosquitos.

Though avian malaria cannot be passed to humans, the park has temporarily closed its Penguin Island attraction to the public.

Darren Beasley, head of animal operations, told the BBC: “Our team of keepers are absolutely devastated.

“Despite the best efforts of our team and with expert advice from other collections, we have still been unable to save a large amount of these incredible and popular aquatic birds.

“We have taken the decision to close Penguin Island to visitors in order to give our team additional space and time to care for our remaining birds and to allow the heartbroken keepers time to get through this terrible experience,” he added.

Humboldt penguins are native to the Pacific coast in Chile and Peru in South America.

The species faces population crises due to over-fishing and climate change and is currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The Independent has contacted Longleat for comment.