7 penguins inexplicably drown at Canadian zoo

Staff at the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada, are mourning the loss of seven Humboldt penguins, found dead in their enclosure Thursday morning.

“This is devastating news,” director of animal care Jamie Dorgan said in a statement on the zoo’s website. “We have launched a full investigation so we can try to understand what happened and prevent further incidents like this from happening again.”

The seven birds were found in their regular holding area in the rear of the zoo’s Penguin Plunge. After performing necropsies, the veterinary staff determined that the penguins drowned.

The zoo has 15 penguins left in its Humboldt colony in Penguin Plunge, which also includes king, gentoos and rockhopper penguins.