To keep penguins at the Shanghai Zoo disease-free, zookeepers are feeding them garlic. Respiratory problems and other illnesses pose a threat during China's long, humid summer, and the zoo wants to do what it can to keep the animals healthy.
Penguins are vulnerable to a certain type of mold that grows in their enclosure and have become sick after ingesting it. The garlic will help fortify their respiratory systems and provide a defense against the mold.
However, penguins don't usually eat garlic, and they're not exactly fond of it. Zookeepers have to stuff three to four cloves of garlic for each bird in the fish that they eat.
Garlic has traditionally been used as a medicine in China, and it's said to help with many different ailments in humans, including colds, flu and allergies.
