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Everyone responds to penguins' plight
The disastrous oil spill in Table Bay on 23 June from the sunken ore carrier Treasure presented the African penguin colonies of Robben and Dassen Islands with their most desperate challenge ever.
Some 50 000 adults and 20 000 chicks of the species - listed as "vulnerable to extinction" in the Red Data Book - were threatened with certain death from starvation or exposure which inevitably follows oiling.
Thanks to the impressive response from South African and foreign conservationists, scientists and the public, tens of thousands of oiled birds were collected, washed and fed. Un-oiled penguins were caught, trucked to and released near Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape. The time they took to swim home enabled the authorities to clean up the oil in their feeding grounds.
The oil spill happened in the peak breeding season. Five hundred penguin chicks were taken (courtesy SA Airways) to Sea World in Durban where they were treated. "The real task proved to be feeding these demanding little ones with the nasty beaks," says NRF grant-holder Rudy van der Elst of the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) in Durban.
This was the biggest evacuation of wildlife since Operation Noah during the flooding of Lake Kariba. The large-scale translocation of penguins was an
experiment necessitated by the large numbers of birds at risk. Early results suggest that the survival rate has been excellent. The rescue operation was organised by the Foundation for the Conservation of Seabirds (SANCCOB), considered by many the world expert in cleaning oiled penguins. Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) staff played an enormous role in the operation.
"Without all those who helped clean penguins and who transported clean penguins to safety, we would have lost at least 25% of the global population of the African penguin," says NRF grant-holder Professor Les Underhill, head of the University of Cape Town Avian Demography Unit (ADU). The Unit tracked three penguins - the famous Peter, Percy and Pamela - using satellite tags donated by SAP Africa to monitor their return to original roosting sites.
ADU's research team is at present investigating two key issues: the rate of survival and rehabilitation of penguins after becoming oiled, and their success in breeding after trauma. Research activities to measure the success of the operation had to be designed in mid crisis. Fortunately technology needed for the tracking of released penguins was in place from earlier research into foraging areas of these birds.
According to Van der Elst, many lessons were learnt from this disaster. The South African Oil Spill Contingency Plan needs updating to place greater emphasis on prevention. Experience gained in the cleaning,
translocation and chick rearing need to be documented for future use and application. "It is gratifying to note how scientists, people with practical experience and a dedicated public integrated so well to deal with this disaster," he says.
Underhill stays concerned about the plight of the African penguin. "Unless we can increase the juvenile survival rate a great deal, these penguins are heading for extinction,' he says. He feels strongly that disturbance of the birds should be reduced, their predators should be reduced, and their food supply be increased by establishing a fishing-free zone around the islands where they breed.
For more information on the penguins, visit the ADU web site:
www.uct.ac.za/depts/stats/adu
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