Zoologists are puzzled: bees have killed dozens of rare penguins

Bees have bitten to death on rare penguins in Africa, reports with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

Sixty-three endangered African penguins died from bee stings near Cape Town. Spectacled, or donkey, penguins nest on the southwestern coast of Africa, which is washed by the cold waters of the Bengal Current. Nesting occurs every winter when mainland temperatures are not as high as in summer. According to defenders of rare birds, this is an unprecedented case.

Carcasses with sting marks were found in a penguin colony in the Boulders Beach Reserve near Simonstown. No other injuries or signs of illness were found in them.

Marine biologist Alison Cock of the South African National Parks Authority told the BBC that this was the first time this had happened.

“Usually penguins and bees get along,” she said. —Bees do not sting unless provoked. We are considering the hypothesis that the bees' nest was somehow disturbed, causing a large swarm to fly out and become aggressive. Unfortunately, penguins got in his way.”

The most dangerous were bites on the fins and around the eyes, because these body parts of the penguins are not protected by feathers, said Dr. Katta Ludinha of the South African Coastal Bird Conservation Fund. One of the penguins was bitten by 27 bees.

“Such a number of bites would be fatal for any animal of similar size,” said Dr. Ludinha.

The bees die after being bitten. Many dead insects were found near the penguins.

"When a bee stings, it releases a pheromone into the air that can be smelled by other bees defending the nest to detect their target," Jenny Cullinan of the African Wild Bee Institute told the BBC. According to the institute's experts, it is unsafe to keep beehives on private plots near houses.

African penguins are smaller than chinstrap emperor penguins. They live on the ocean coast and islands in South Africa and Namibia, but sometimes they were spotted as far north as Gabon.

Photo: Shutterstock

According to the World Wildlife Fund, their numbers are declining, mainly due to intensive fishing, which reduces their food supply, and what the foundation calls “environmental fluctuations.” However, this is not the only reason that spectacled penguins are now considered an endangered species. Oil spills at sea cause no less harm to them. For example, the major disaster that occurred in the waters of South Africa in 2000 is well known. Then, during the sinking of the Treasure, approximately 1300 tons of oil products ended up in the water, staining about 40 thousand spectacled penguins.

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Wild bees are part of the local ecosystem and are also protected by the state.

Boulders Beach Reserve is visited by about 60 thousand tourists annually.

Of particular concern is that another dead penguin with bee sting marks was found elsewhere on Friday, near the seaside town of Fishuk, famous for its climatic health resort and vineyards.

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The South African National Parks Authority said Sunday it is investigating and monitoring the situation.

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