Another sick penguin dies at Calgary Zoo

The Calgary Zoo had to euthanize a 14-year-old male Gentoo penguin on Sunday.

Houdini had been sick for a month with aspergillosis,a fungal infection that affects the respiratory system.

The diseaseis one of the most common causes ofdeath in both captive and wild penguins.

Calgary Zoo says it's concerned the Juneflooding and high levels of dampness increased the risk factors for the disease.

Officials are also exploring the possibility the zoo may have an aspergillosis species that's resistant to anti-fungal drugs used to treat the disease.

Out of the seven penguin deathsin the past year, one of the zoo's Humboldt penguins wasconfirmed to have died from aspergillosis in October as well as a King penguin in February.

"Aspergillosis is fungal organism," saidSandy Black, the zoo's lead veterinarian. "We know from human medicine that fungal pneumonias are the worst or most difficult type ofpneumonia to deal with, so he actually had fungal growth in his air sacs as well as his lungs."

She saysthey are still treating other penguins for the same thing.

"We have seven that are on our watch carefully list and are still on treatment," said Black. "The other birds went through a full month of treatment and are now off that treatment."

Penguins have an average life span of roughly20 years.