Remembering Roxy

August 8, 2024

Aquarium staff are mourning the loss of Roxy the penguin, who passed away on August 6, 2024. Roxy was fourteen years old and came to the Aquarium from Brazil. She was rescued and deemed non-releasable to the wild. The Aquarium cared for her after she arrived in 2011, and she paired up with Floyd the penguin shortly after. The two started a family over the years, and Roxy successfully raised seven penguin chicks. Through this she brought genetic diversity to Magellanic penguins in zoos and aquariums, which was part of an important Species Survival Plan. “Roxy was one the first penguins to arrive to the Aquarium, and she captured the hearts of our staff and visitors early on,” said Brett Long, senior director of mammals and birds, Aquarium of the Pacific. “She was curious about people and had warm personality while being one of the most mature and wise penguins in the habitat.”

Roxy showed symptoms of lethargy and decreased appetite two days before she passed away and was under close watch and care by the Aquarium’s veterinary and animal husbandry teams. Testing indicated an infection with avian malaria as the most likely cause of her illness, so she was receiving anti-malaria medication and supportive treatment in a behind-the-scenes care area. Avian malaria is a serious disease in penguins that is not transmissible between birds and cannot be transferred to people. All the penguins at the Aquarium, including Roxy, receive preventative malaria medicine year-round as a precaution. Unfortunately, breakthrough cases can happen.

A necropsy exam was conducted, and we are awaiting any additional findings. Magellanic penguins are found in and around the coasts of South America, including Chile, Argentina, and Peru. In the wild their average lifespan is ten years and up to twenty years.