One such Humboldt penguin died mysteriously at Rostock Zoo Photo: AP Photo/Ahmad Ibrahim
By Sven Hadon and Stefan Tretropp
The police have cordoned off the alleged crime scene and are currently securing evidence…
Cruel discovery on Tuesday morning at the Rostock Zoo. Keepers who came to clean the enclosures every day found a dead Humboldt penguin in one enclosure, with the severed head lying next to it. Next to the dead animal was a stone with various blood adhesions.
According to zoo employees, the relatively smooth cut on the penguin’s head speaks against being attacked or killed by another animal. It is now also being checked whether the place where the penguin was found is actually the place where the animal died.
The main entrance of Rostock Zoo Photo: dpa/picture alliance
A motive for the possibly intentional killing of the cute fish eater is not discernible.
The Rostock Zoo (6500 animals, 500 different species) is the largest animal park in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It has received the “Best European Zoo Award” several times. Attacks on animals or mistreatment by third parties have not been registered in recent years.
By the way: According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Humboldt penguins are among the endangered bird species and are still classified as “endangered”.