Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Penguin found dead in latest animal death in German Zoo

Last month a 21-year-old sea lion named Holly was discovered after her skull was crushed

Rose Troup Buchanan
Tuesday 01 December 2015 15:54 EST
Comments
Two other penguins have gone missing from the zoo
Two other penguins have gone missing from the zoo (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A German zoo is on high alert after a penguin was found dead and two others are missing, just a month after a sea lion is believed to have been killed in her pen.

Dortmund Zoo, in the east of Germany, has seen a string of mysterious animal deaths in recent months.

In the latest incident keepers found the one-year-old Humboldt penguin – born and raised at the zoo – lying dead in the flamingo pen on Monday. Two other birds from the same enclosure were then found to be missing.

"The loss breaks our hearts," Frank Brandstaetter, zoo director, told Associated Press.

A post-mortem is due to be carried out on the penguin, city administrators confirmed.

Last month Holly the 21-year-old sea lion was discovered with her skull smashed in and missing three teeth. Investigators later found a mysterious hole in one of the fences enclosing the zoo.

Authorities have not determined whether the incidents are linked, but police confirmed a possible connection was “part of our investigation.”

In the wake of the incidents , the zoo confirmed it had stepped up security.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in