Swarm Of Bees Kills More Than 60 Endangered Penguins In South Africa

More than 60 endangered penguins have died after being attacked by a swarm of bees in South Africa, a wildlife organisation has said.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds said that 63 African penguins were repeatedly stung by the bees while on a beach outside of Cape Town.

The penguins were found to have no other injuries, aside from the stings, and a number of bees were also found dead at the scene.

Alamy

African penguins are on the 'red list' and are classed as an 'endangered' species.

David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian for the foundation, said: "After tests, we found bee stings around the penguins' eyes.

"This is a very rare occurrence. We do not expect it to happen often, it's a fluke.

"There were also dead bees on the scene."

The penguins were from a colony at Simon's Town, which has a national park that is home to honey bees.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) said the dead birds had been taken for post mortems with samples being sent for disease and toxicology testing.

In a statement, it said: "There were no external physical injuries found on any of the birds."

The post mortems revealed all of the penguins had multiple bee stings.

Alamy

Dr Alison Kock, a marine biologist with SANParks told the BBC: "Usually the penguins and bees co-exist.

"The bees don't sting unless provoked - we are working on the assumption that a nest or hive in the area was disturbed and caused a mass of bees to flee the nest, swarm and became aggressive.

"Unfortunately the bees encountered a group of penguins on their flight path."

African penguins live on the coast and islands of southern Africa - they are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, which means they face a high risk of extinction.

The number of African penguins is rapidly declining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Alamy

The organisation says food shortages, caused by commercial fishing, and 'environmental fluctuation' are the main causes of the drop in numbers.

Roberts added: "The penguins... must not die just like that as they are already in danger of extinction.

"They are a protected species."

Topics: World News, Wildlife, Animals

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19