Zoo hushes up fox attack that killed eight penguins
EIGHT penguins have been killed by an urban fox at a popular zoo, it has emerged.
Five males and three chicks were mauled to death as a fox got into the enclosure at Chessington World of Adventures under the cover of darkness. The grisly discovery was made when keepers returned to the penguin enclosure to find the birds had been slaughtered.
Fearing the fox, which was able to sneak through security fences, would strike again, keepers relocated the surviving penguins to a secure compound. A sign stated that they had been moved while modifications were made to the enclosure, but made no mention of some of the birds’ fate.
An anonymous whistleblower criticised the zoo for deceiving customers and failing to monitor the exhibit. “The male penguins can be seen trying to protect the babies. Sadly, all bar one were killed. The one surviving male is seriously injured. It was absolutely savage.”
Responding to the allegations yesterday, a spokesman for Chessington Zoo defended the decision not to relay the news to the public, adding that it had been under no obligation to do so.
“It’s a fine line between alerting our guests, because some of our animals do die, and actually it’s not something our zoo licence says we have to do. It’s certainly something we never hid from our guests. Our penguins were our number one priority. In terms of restrictions on animal enclosures and foxproofing, [the enclosure] met those exacting standards. I cannot give specific details but we are investigating the infiltration.”