Endangered African penguins threatened by avian flu
Over 16 “abnormal deaths” have been recorded since February.
![An African penguin, right, interacts with a Cape Cormorant on Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, April 20, 2018. The Western Cape Local Government and the South African Environmental Affairs Department says it has recorded 18 abnormal penguin deaths with four of these cases confirmed as avian influenza since late January at Boulders Beach.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/african-penguins-cormorant-sh-ps-180420_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg?w=1600)
Endangered African penguins living in a colony on Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, have been further threatened by an outbreak of avian flu.
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According to Nature, veterinarians detected the virus in February among penguins there as well as Cape cormorants, swift terns and peregrine falcons. By March, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs called for a halt to research activities for fear of further spreading the infection to other colonies.
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Over 16 “abnormal deaths” have been recorded since February and residents and tourists have been advised not to handle any sick or dead birds.
![PHOTO: An African penguin, right, interacts with a Cape Cormorant on Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, April 20, 2018. Some 18 abnormal penguin deaths have been recorded with four confirmed as avian influenza since late January at Boulders Beach.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/african-penguins-cormorant-sh-ps-180420_hpMain.jpg)
The African penguin population has been in a steady decline and is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In the 1930s there were about 1.5 million adult penguins living along the southern African coast but due to human activity, their numbers have decreased by 90 percent in less than a century. The Boulders population is currently about 1,700 birds.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/african-penguins-walk-sh-ps-180420_hpEmbed_25x16_992.jpg)