Mrs Wolowitz, oldest penguin at Edinburgh zoo, killed by fox

The oldest penguin in Edinburgh zoo has been killed after a fox broke into its enclosure, staff have announced.

Mrs Wolowitz, 35, a northern rockhopper with a “massive personality”, was attacked late on Wednesday. Other penguins in the enclosure were not hurt and were doing well, the zoo added.

In a tweet on Thursday night, the zoo said: “Sadly, we lost her last night after a fox broke into our penguin enclosure. Thankfully, the rest of our colony are unharmed and are doing well.

“Her massive personality will be missed.”

It added that zookeepers checked enclosures daily but there was always a risk of break-ins by wild animals.

“We are looking at what we can do to further reinforce the boundary,” it said.

Penguins Rock, Europe’s largest outdoor penguin pool, is home to more than 100 birds of three species.

In June, Colchester zoo lost its 21-year-old Patagonian sea lion.

Paris, who had been at the zoo for 19 years, died during an examination for an ear infection “despite all best efforts taken to help her”.

Last year, an electrical fault at a petting zoo led to a fire that killed cockatoos, macaws, parrots, meerkats, armadillos and skunks.

Maldon Promenade Petting Zoo’s barn in Essex said: “We will never forget the beautiful animals that we have lost in such tragic circumstances, some of the little guys kept at our private farm were retired, resting, or previous unwanted pets that we tried so hard to care for.”