Staff at the Calgary Zoo/Wilder Institute acted quickly to save a 13-year-old female Humboldt penguin named Juanita after she accidentally ingested a coin.Juanita’s care team first noticed she was walking with a slightly abnormal gait, prompting an X-ray that revealed a metallic foreign object in her stomach. Because penguin stomachs are highly acidic to digest whole fish, ingesting metal can cause heavy metal toxicity and even death.The zoo’s Animal Health team performed an endoscopy while Juanita was under anesthesia, carefully removing the coin with retrieval forceps. Fortunately, the coin was a newer type without zinc or lead, and Juanita recovered quickly, returning to her enclosure at Penguin Plunge..Radiographs also confirmed Juanita has degenerative joint disease in her right knee, unrelated to the coin incident, and she is receiving additional care from her dedicated team.The zoo reminded visitors that keeping small items like coins, hair ties, tickets, and wrappers secured is essential to animal safety. Staff encourage reporting any objects that fall into habitats immediately.
