Citizen scientists can now lend a hand in penguin conservation

Adelie penguin nesting on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Photo credit: Heather Lynch, Stony Brook University

USA – Ordinary citizens now have the opportunity to be penguin detectives and help scientists find Antarctica's undiscovered penguin colonies after the launch of a website that tracks Antarctic penguin populations.

The interactive and user-friendly tool was developed by Heather J. Lynch, PhD, an Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, and colleagues. It is the first of its kind, and provides a lens into the world of scientists who analyse penguin living patterns, which are a strong indicator of climate change effects.

Dr Lynch and Mathew R. Schwaller, PhD, at NASA Goddard teamed up with Oceanites, Inc. to develop the Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD): www.penguinmap.com.

This penguin's boot is made for walking ... with a 3D printer

Purps and her new boot

USA – Injured African penguin Purps can walk more easily with her new 3D-printed orthotic boot, made using 3D Systems' scanning, design and printing technology.

The lightweight, custom-fit boot is the result of a collaborative project between veterinary staff at Mystic Aquarium, Connecticut, students at Mystic Middle School and technical experts from ACT Group, a Connecticut-based 3D Systems partner.

Mystic Aquarium resident Purps (whose official name is Yellow/Purple) was left with a non-functional flexor tendon in her ankle following an altercation with another penguin.

Veterinarians at the aquarium initially handcrafted her a boot from moldable plastic material to immobilise, support and protect the injury site. It was adequate, but Mystic Aquarium's animal care team wanted a more modern solution for the boot that would be more durable, less cumbersome for the small bird, and faster to make.

Oldest known African penguin dies at Pueblo Zoo

Tess at Pueblo Zoo. Credit: Colorado State University.

USA - Pueblo Zoo in Colorado announced today that Tess, the oldest known living African penguin in captivity and the oldest female on record, has died at age 40.

This is an amazing feat, considering that in the wild the average life expectancy of African penguins is 15 to 20 years.

She is survived by her mate, Mongo.

“She was truly a special animal,” her primary keeper, Melanie Pococke, said in the zoo's announcement.

Emperor penguins closer to Endangered Species Act protection

Emperor penguins.
Photo credit: Michael Van Woert,
NOAA

USA - In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the emperor penguin may warrant Endangered Species Act protection based on threats from climate change.

The most ice-dependent of all penguin species, emperor penguins are threatened by the loss of their sea-ice habitat and declining food availability in Antarctica.

“Our carbon pollution is melting the sea-ice habitat emperor penguins need to survive,” said Shaye Wolf, climate science director at the Center.

Zoo seeks penguin egg rescuer

One lucky bird: The penguin who hatched
from the rescued egg.
Photo credit: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo

USA - Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo is seeking a young hero whose keen eyes helped rescue a Humboldt penguin egg.

On 3 April a boy visiting the penguin enclosure alerted keeper Celine Pardo that he could see an egg on a cliff in the exhibit. Pardo immediately followed the boy’s instructions, scooped up the egg, rushed it indoors and relocated it under a pair of foster parents. It hatched on 5 April.

Unfortunately, by the time Pardo rescued the egg and returned to thank the boy, he had already left the exhibit. The boy is described as 7 or 8 years old with blonde, curly hair; he was wearing a white t-shirt and was extremely polite.

“We are so grateful to this little boy for helping us save this precious bird. If a crow or seagull had scooped up the egg, it would have been a goner,” said Pardo.

“We’d like to find him and extend an invitation to go behind the scenes to meet the chick and help name it. This story of this chick shows how visitors of all ages can help support the care of animals at the zoo and, in this case, help save an endangered animal.”

If anyone knows who this young hero is, contact the zoo at woodlandparkzoopr@zoo.org.

The chick and its sibling, who was hatching when the boy spotted the rejected egg, will remain off-exhibit until mid-summer.

Source
Zoo seeks boy who helped rescue rejected penguin egg, 13 April 2012, Woodland Park Zoo

Emperor penguins need Endangered Species Act protection says wildlife organisation

Emperor penguin (public domain photo)

USA -  The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a legal petition seeking Endangered Species Act protection for emperor penguins threatened by global warming. The Center says that emperors are the most ice-dependent of all penguin species, threatened by the loss of their sea-ice habitat as well as declining food availability wrought by the warming ocean off Antarctica. Their populations are declining because of global warming; some colonies have entirely disappeared.

“The sea-ice habitat that emperor penguins need to survive is melting beneath their feet,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center. “It’s great to see movies like Happy Feet Two bringing the plight of emperor penguins to people around the world. But in reality, there’s no happy Hollywood ending for these penguins unless we take real action to address the global climate crisis.” 

Emperor penguins need sea ice for breeding and foraging. The petition highlights the serious problems of melting sea ice and other warming-driven changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Areas of Antarctica are experiencing dramatic warming, leading to loss of sea ice as well as the collapse of ice sheets.

In 2006, the Center filed a petition to list 12 penguin species as threatened or endangered. The US Department of the Interior conducted status reviews for 10 of those species. After delays and ultimately a court order, the agency protected seven species but denied protection for the remaining ones, including the emperor. This petition presents new scientific information demonstrating that emperor penguins are imperiled.

“Emperor penguins are icons of wild Antarctica,” said Sakashita. “And protecting them under the Endangered Species Act is essential to their survival.”

Listing under the Endangered Species Act would provide broad protection to these penguins, including a requirement that federal agencies ensure that any action carried out, authorised or funded by the U.S. government will not “jeopardize the continued existence” of the penguin species. For example, if penguins are listed, future approval of fishing permits for US-flagged vessels operating on the high seas would require analysis and minimisation of impacts on the listed penguins. The Act also has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas pollution by compelling federal agencies to look at the impact of the emissions generated by their activities on listed species.

Read previous post: Endangered Species Act protection for southern rockhoppers 

Source
Endangered Species Act protection sought for emperor penguins, 28 November 2011, Center for Biological Diversity

Rescued penguins find new home in San Francisco

USA - The adventure isn't over for six Magellanic penguins who washed up weak and malnourished on the Brazilian coast.

In February, twenty rescued birds who were deemed too weak to survive in the wild were sent to the USA to Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Now six of those penguins have been donated to San Francisco Zoo, where they bring the number of penguins to 51 - the largest collection of Magellanic penguins at any zoo or aquarium in the world.

Read previous posts:

• Rescued penguins become California girls and boys
• "Survivor" penguins sent from Brazil to US

Sources
Rescued penguins to join flock at San Francisco Zoo by Stephanie Lee, 2 November 2011, SF Gate
San Francisco Zoo receives six Magellanic penguins (photos) by Carly Schwartz, 11 November 2011, The Huffington Post

Lucky finds Halloween a perfect fit

Lucky wearing a custom-made
shoe. Photo credit: Sheri Horiszny/
Santa Barbara Zoo

USA - Just in time for Halloween, Lucky the Humboldt penguin from Santa Barbara Zoo has been given new, spooky, shoes.

Sporting orange and black color schemes, his new shoes feature a spooky jack-o’-lantern face inside shoe manufacturer Teva’s distinctive “hand” logo.

Lucky has an impaired foot and was given custom-made shoes designed by the adventure footwear company in May to help him get around.

“We couldn’t be happier to watch as Lucky adjusts to his healthier and happier life with his new shoe,” Teva public relations manager Jaime Eschette said.

“It’s only fitting to celebrate with his first Halloween shoe to get him in the spirit for the holidays.”
 
Eschette said that Thanksgiving and other holiday shoes are also on the drawing board at Teva.

“These shoes may have saved Lucky’s life,” zoo CEO Rich Block said. “Now he can, jump and swim like any other penguin, albeit a very stylish one. He’s become a favorite of our guests and our staff."

Source
Santa Barbara Zoo's Lucky the penguin fitted with Halloween shoe by Julia McHugh for the Santa Barbara Zoo, 31 October 2011, Noozhawk

Read related article: There was a young penguin who needed a shoe

Rescued penguins become California girls and boys

USA - It's been a long, strange journey for five young Magellanic penguins who started their migration in the southern tip of South America, became stranded on a beach in Brazil, and are now living in California.

The penguins are some of hundreds who were stranded on Brazilian beaches last year. These five rescued birds now have a home at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

"You don't normally find these penguins much farther north than the Falkland islands," said Dudley Wigdahl, the Aquarium's curator of marine mammals and birds. "The locations of their food sources are changing, perhaps due to climate change, and penguins are having to travel farther in search of food."

After they were rescued, some of the penguins were strong enough to return to the wild while others were deemed unreleasable due to health issues.

"When these penguins stranded in Rio, they were frail and emaciated after such a long swim up the Atlantic coast of South America. We're happy to be able to provide a home and medical care for these unreleasable animals," said Mr Wigdahl.

The new penguins will not be on exhibit until the summer of 2012, when the Aquarium debuts the June Keyes Penguin Habitat. Until then, they will be cared for by the aviculturist team and veterinary staff in the Aquarium’s behind-the-scenes holding area.

"They're adjusting very well and they tell a great story. They are ambassadors for their species," Mr Wigdahl told the Press-Telegram. 

"They're going to be very important birds, because they are from the wild and they will help with the genetic stock across the zoological groups that breed penguins. In the future these will be important birds."

Read previous post: "Survivor" penguins sent from Brazil to US

Sources
Rescued penguins arrive at Aquarium of the Pacific today, 4 April 2011, OC180News
Wild penguin flock lands in Long Beach after Rio trip, 8 April 2011, Press-Telegram

Penguin premiere for "Mr Popper's Penguins" trailer

SeaWorld San Diego's penguins watch
"Mr Popper's Penguins" trailer
Credit: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com

USA - If you're always wearing a tuxedo, you're always ready for a movie premiere - which must be why the penguins at SeaWorld San Diego seemed to take it all in their stride when they were given a special screening of the first trailer for the 20th Century Fox comedy "Mr Popper's Penguins".

The unusual movie goers were even provided with appropriate snacks - popcorn boxes filled with herrings.

Starring six gentoo penguins (oh, and a human named Jim Carrey), Mr Popper's Penguins will open in the USA on 17 June.

I wonder if the penguin's keepers will let them watch the movie when it's released - now they've seen the trailer they'll want to find out what happens!

Source
SeaWorld San Diego’s penguins get first look at Jim Carrey’s new movie "Mr. Popper's Penguins" at premiere of film’s trailer, 23 March 2011, Business Wire

Watch the trailer below:

SeaWorld's flying penguins go viral

USA - While it may not have quite as much action as the 2006 movie "Snakes on a Plane", a Southwest Airlines passenger's YouTube video "Penguins on a Plane" has become an internet sensation.

The Magellanic penguins flew from San Francisco, where they had attended a national science convention, to SeaWorld in San Diego on 12 March.

A passenger videoed Pete, one of the feathery flight attendants, as he roamed freely down the aisle.

On the video a SeaWorld staff member can be heard educating the passengers about the birds over the tannoy. It would have made a nice change from listening to the emergency exit procedures!

"Survivor" penguins sent from Brazil to US

Magellanic penguins in Patagonia.
Photo by * hiro008.
Some rights reserved.

Brazilian scientists have sent a group of around 20 rescued Magellanic penguins to the US for an exhibition on climate change at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

The birds are the survivors from hundreds of penguins that washed up last year on beaches near Rio de Janeiro after migrating from southern Argentina.

Scientists told AFP that the penguins have been migrating further north in recent years, possibly because of climate change, and the longer journeys are taking their toll on the penguin population. These changing migration patterns are currently being studied by Brazilian environmental authorities.

The penguins arrived safely in Los Angeles, where they will be quarantined before being sent to the aquarium.

Hopefully, since the penguins are poster children for climate change, their carers tried to minimise the carbon footprint of their journey from South America to the States.

Source
Beached penguins sent by Brazil to US, 15 February 2011, AFP

Researchers see the light about what makes little penguins blue

False-coloured scanning electron
micrograph of arrays of nanofibres
found in barbs of little penguin
feathers. Photo by Liliana D'Alba.

USA - Have you ever wondered what makes little penguins look blue? By examining the feathers of little penguins, researchers from the University of Akron, Ohio, and their colleagues have discovered a new way blue is created in feathers. Their finding is published in the 9 February issue of Biology Letters.

The researchers used light and electron microscopes to examine wing and back feathers of little penguins and found they contained massive numbers of fibres that were nanometres in diameter and arranged side-by-side. The neat, organised parallel alignment and tiny scale of the fibres cause light scattering in such a way that creates a blue hue.

While the light scattering of nanofibres is responsible for the blue colour of the skin of some birds and other animals such as mandrills, this is the first time is has been found as the source of the colour blue in feathers.

Dr Matthew Shawkey, one of the researchers, said, "For 30 years it has been thought that blue colours in feathers are only produced by cells of feather barbs in spongy layers, or matrices of keratin with nanometre-scaled pores in them. These results show that we should never stop looking just because we 'know' how something is made."

Source
UA researchers solve colour mystery of blue-feathered penguins, 9 February 2011, The University of Akron News

Biology Letters citation
Colour-producing β-keratin nanofibres in blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) feathers. Liliana D'Alba, Vinodkumar Saranathan, Julia A. Clarke, Jakob A. Vinther, Richard O. Prum and Matthew D. Shawkey. Biology Letters. 9 February 2011.

Nothing says "I love you" like a penguin painting

African penguins at Mystic Aquarium.
Photo by bunnygoth. Some rights reserved.

USA - Described by Mystic Aquarium as "the ultimate tribute to Valentines Day", two pairs of the Connecticut aquarium's African penguins have created 50 original paintings. At US$124.99 each, a penguin painting could be just the Valentines gift you've been looking for that hard-to-buy-for special someone in your life. (Considering the price, perhaps a VERY special someone.)

The artists are Green-Blue and Green-Black, who have raised several chicks together, and Gray-Silver and Yellow-Red, who have been together for an enviable 17 years and appeared on both local and national TV.

Painting is a form of enrichment for the aquarium's penguins. A trainer dabs paint onto the penguin's feet and then sets the bird down on a canvas on the floor. The penguin wanders across the canvas and - voilà - a work of art! You can watch a video of a penguin painting here.

The original paintings, as well as reproduction posters and prints, are available from the Mystic Aquarium Online Store.  A portion from the proceeds of each sale will go towards the aquarium's penguin conservation efforts.

Source
African penguins spread the love for Valentine's Day, 4 February 2011, Mystic Aquarium