Penguins killed by foxes in London Zoo

LONDON - Penguins and some other animals were killed by foxes in London Zoo, a media report said Saturday.

A probe report showed that 11 South African and rockhopper penguins were killed in a fox attack last year, telegraph.co.uk reported.

The zoo in London’s Regent’s Park now has 41 penguins.

Other victims since January 2007 included a flamingo, two South American mara, a kind of rodent that resembles small kangaroos, and a free-range chicken.

The report found that enclosures were inadequate for the long-term keeping of tigers. The low fencing could allow animals to escape into Regent’s Park and snakes have escaped into public areas.

The attack on the penguins is believed to have happened at around dawn March 18, 2009, between the end of security guards’ night-time inspections and the arrival of day staff.

“An investigation into that (the penguin) incident established that the fence surrounding the penguin pool was damaged and not reported to ZSL (Zoological Society London).”

The revelations are certain to reignite the row over urban fox numbers which was sparked earlier this year by reports that two baby girls were attacked in their home by a fox.

Over the past 70 years, Britain’s urban fox population has grown to more than 34,000 and they now account for 14 percent of the country’s total fox numbers.