Fairy penguin named ‘Chaka’ becomes the world’s first penguin to get an MRI scan

Sea Life Weymouth’s fairy penguin named ‘Chaka’ made history by becoming the first penguin to undergo an MRI scan. The penguin was observed to have balance issues while waddling, prompting the scan at Cave Veterinary Specialists in Somerset, UK.

Although it is not critical, the scan showed that Chaka has some balance issues. The milestone in veterinary science was done to support the conservation of fairy penguin populations around the world. The scan results showed that Chaka has no detrimental health issues, and the scan helped in gathering data about the skull and bone structure of fairy penguins, as no previous MRI images were available.

Chaka leads a healthy, social life at Sea Life Weymouth and was treated with extra care to ensure the procedure was as comfortable as possible. Kico Iraola, a curator at Sea Life Weymouth, called Chaka a ‘penguin pioneer.’

The MRI scan is considered a significant milestone in veterinary science, as unlike cats and dogs, penguins can hold their breath for shorter periods. Hence, the team closely monitored Chaka during the scan. Chaka’s scan showed balance issues, but nothing critical, and the data gathered from the scan will help improve knowledge of the species worldwide. Chaka’s milestone MRI scan has provided new knowledge and paved the way for future research to support conservation efforts of the world’s wild populations of the fairy penguin species.

Fairy penguins, also known as little blue penguins or korora, are the smallest of the 17 penguin species and native to New Zealand. The information gathered from Chaka’s MRI scan could go a long way in conserving fairy penguin populations in the wild.