Dory, the one-and-a-half year old penguin from the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale (VJB) Zoo at Byculla who succumbed on Sunday morning died of toxicity, possibly caused by a bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract the post mortem report said. Dory had been reported sick since October 18.
Even as zoo officials were unwilling to reveal details, stating that they were waiting for further reports, sources said they suspected the food as cause for her death.
"On the basis of the history provided by zoo authorities and post mortem lesions, it appears that the penguin might have died due to some infection leading to septicemia. However, detailed bacteriological and histopathological investigations are in progress," stated the pathoanatomical diagnosis of the report prepared by the Department of Veterinary Pathology of the Bombay Veterinary College that was released on Monday.
"There are two major suspects that could have caused the infection, one is the fish they were eating, and the second is the water of the pool-as they release their faecal matter in the water directly. Both could have caused infection," said a source, who rubbished activists and politicians who have been claiming the penguins were not able to acclimatise to Mumbai's heat.
In fact, the report stated that the liver was enlarged and the stomach showed undigested food material with remnant bones of fishes. Also, the intestines revealed hemorrhages throughout the length.
"Going by the post mortem report, it can be seen that the penguin's entire body was affected by toxins generally released by bacteria and it affected its vital organs and caused the death," stated a private veterinarian.
He added that further investigations of samples collected during the post mortem would indicate the exact bacteria that affected Dory. He wouldn't be surprised if the cause was salmonella, which is the biggest cause for food poisoning and always a worry for zoos across India, where quality standards of food given to animals was not maintained.
Zoo officials, already under scanner after Dory's death said they have become even more careful and were taking all additional necessary and relevant precautions. "They are being given medicines and hygiene levels are being maintained," said an official.
These humboldt penguins were brought to Mumbai on July 26 from Coex Aquarium, Seoul, South Korea. The females have been named Bubble, Olive, Daisy and Flipper while the three males are called Popeye, Donald and Mr Molt.
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