63 Endangered Penguins Killed from Bees in South Africa

By Benjamin Turner, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

A swarm of bees killed 63 endangered penguins on a beach just outside the city of Capetown, according to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

​​The protected birds were found dead in Simon’s town, near the Cape Town home to a colony of endangered penguins.

“This is a very rare occurrence. We do not expect it to happen often, it’s a fluke.” Said foundation’s David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian, on Sunday.

From the tests done, they concluded that there were bee stings around the eyes of the penguins, as well as a bunch of dead bees from the stings.

South African National Parks said samples from the deceased penguins had also been sent for disease and toxicology testing.