Edinburgh Zoo’s oldest penguin killed after fox breaks into enclosure
A penguin which reached the grand old age of 35 has died after a fox snuck into her enclosure and killed her.
Mrs Wolowitz had been a firm favourite among visitors to Edinburgh Zoo over her many years, but died following the incident on Wednesday night.
The zoo confirmed no other penguins were hurt or killed in the attack.
Posting on social media, they said: ‘We know so many of you loved Mrs Wolowitz, our oldest penguin.
‘Sadly, we lost her last night after a fox broke into our penguin enclosure. Thankfully, the rest of our colony are unharmed and are doing well.
‘Her massive personality will be missed.
‘We are looking at what we can do to further reinforce the boundary.’
She was described by zoo keepers as the ‘oldest and sassiest’ penguin in the colony and celebrated her milestone birthday just this year.
On top of this, she was thought to be the oldest of her species in the world, according to zookeepers.
She would give zookeepers a ‘honk’ each morning they came to visit her and she was known for telling off the younger pesky penguins on a regular basis.
She was feisty as ever, even in her older years.
A penguin’s lifespan on average spans from 15 to 20 years, so despite her tragic death Mrs Wolowitz had a good innings.
Hatching in 1987, she lived double her life expectancy.
The zoo added expert teams check the enclosures daily for signs of damage, but there is always a risk wild animals will break in.
Edinburgh Zoo is home to three species of penguin, and houses more than 100 of the birds.
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