As those responsible for the zoo in the Hessian Main metropolis reported on Facebook, the almost fatal incident recently happened in the penguin tank.
There, a zoo visitor is said to have confused the home of the one-year-old Humboldt penguin and his fellow penguins with the Trevi Fountain and carelessly threw a cent coin into the water basin.
In the following, Tweety must have mistaken the small, round metal object for a treat or eaten it together with a prey fish. What followed was anything but pleasant for the little beak bearer.
X-rays released by Frankfurt Zoo showed exactly where the coin had « nestled » in the penguin’s body. Only a « drastic intervention » including the use of a magnetic stick could prevent more serious, if not fatal, consequences for the zoo residents.
Ultimately, however, there was a happy ending for Tweety: about a week after the emergency operation, he was already seen waddling happily through the enclosure and splashing in the water.
On Facebook, the zoo management from Frankfurt was once again clear and pointed out that feeding the penguins and throwing objects are generally prohibited – and for good reason.
Because it was also pointed out that not all animals that experienced something similar, had been so lucky and died in agony as a result of a thoughtlessly swallowed foreign body.
It is only to be hoped that in the future visitors will better adhere to the guidelines so that Tweety and his roommates are spared such incidents!
