Penguins are in danger!

The article “Zoos Try to Ward Off a Penguin Killer” written by Donald G. McNiel Jr. explains how malaria is the most common death for penguins. This article, found in The New York Times was published on October 6^th 2013. It focuses on how mosquitoes that carry malaria and parasites are a huge problem for penguins in captivity. For most birds in zoos these mosquitoes wouldn’t be a problem, because the birds would be immune to them and could internally fight off these diseases. This is not the case for penguins since they are accustomed to a mosquito-free environment. 

Because of this problem zoos have been trying to protect these birds from their killer. Dr. Richard Feachem, director of global health at the university of California states, “But for penguins in captivity, the threat is so great that many zoos dose their birds in summer with pills for malaria.” Since malaria is species specific it cannot affect humans, different forms of malaria affect different species.

It seems as though these medications are being successful. The article states, “Their blood is drawn once a week, and if parasites are found, they are given malaria drugs. Since it takes about 13 days for symptoms to develop, most do not get sick. After two summers, they normally have enough antibodies to let them survive an infection.” If these parasites are found too late in the outbreak of this disease it is very dangerous and most likely to be fatal.

I believe that zoos should continue treating these birds with the medication so that penguins can continue to be displayed in zoos around the country. It does seem quite difficult to accommodate all the medical needs for these birds, however it is worth saving the lives of these playful creatures.

The author of the article makes it clear that he agrees with what these zoos are doing to the penguins. He describes penguins as care free creatures that should be receiving the treatment that they are getting. He doesn’t show any reason why the penguins shouldn’t be treated. He solely focuses on why they should be. This does make the article very bias since it only explores one side of the story.

 Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/science/earth/zoos-aim-to-ward-off-a-penguin-killer.html?ref=science

Ben Stansall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images