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

Assault conviction for penguin warden pusher

AUSTRALIA - In a victory for penguin conservationists, James Oatley has been convicted of assaulting penguin warden Johnyth Burton while she was carrying out her volunteer duties on Manly Cove in NSW on New Years Day.

Mr Oatley, 28, pleaded guilty in Manly Local Court on 7 March to pushing the 73-year-old warden, reported The Manly Daily.

According to an agreed statement tendered in court, Mr Oatley came to shore near Manly Cove on a boat, and a dog that was also onboard jumped out and ran towards one of the little penguins. Ms Burton ran to the penguin's defence. When another penguin warden tried to take photos of the dog, Mr Oatley became aggressive and pushed Ms Burton as she tried to intervene.

Mr Oatley was fined AU$1,500 plus court costs.

Read related posts:

• Manly penguin wardens quit after alleged assault
• Penguin warden allegedly assaulted while on duty

Source
Man convicted of penguin warden assault by Peter Bodkin, 8 April 2011, The Manly Daily

The naked penguin problem

For the last few years, a mysterious feather-loss disorder has been affecting penguin chicks on both sides of the Atlantic. The appearance of these "naked" penguins has scientists puzzled as to what could be causing the condition.

The disorder, which can result in smaller chicks and increased mortality, has been observed in both African and Magellanic penguin chicks. A study on the disorder by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Washington, South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and Centro Nacional Patagónico appeared in a recent edition of the journal Waterbirds.

"Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species," said Professor Dee Boersma, who has conducted studies on Magellanic penguins for more than three decades.

The feather-loss disorder first emerged in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2006, when SANCCOB researchers observed it in African penguins in a rehabilitation center. During that year, approximately 59% of the penguin chicks at the facility lost their feathers, followed by 97% of the chicks at the facility in 2007, and 20% of the chicks in 2008. Chicks with feather-loss disorder eventually began to grow new feathers, but it was discovered that they took longer to grow to a size deemed suitable for release into the wild.

On the other side of the South Atlantic, researchers from WCS and the University of Washington observed feather-loss disorder in the chicks of wild Magellanic penguins (closely related to African penguins) for the first time in 2007 in four different study sites along Argentina’s coastline. Researchers also noted that while feathered chicks sought out shade in the hot midday sun, featherless chicks remained in the sun’s glare. Several of the chicks with feather-loss disorder died during the study.

In both instances, penguin chicks with feather-loss disorder grew more slowly and were smaller in size and weight than feathered chicks. The disparities were due to the increased energy spent by the featherless chicks in keeping warm in the absence of an insulating coat of feathers and/or down. So far, the possible causes include pathogens, thyroid disorders, nutrient imbalances or genetics.

"The recent emergence of feather-loss disorder in wild bird populations suggests that the disorder is something new," said Mariana Varese, Acting Director of WCS's Latin America and Caribbean Program. "More study of this malady can help identify the root cause, which in turn will help illuminate possible solutions."

"We need to learn how to stop the spread of feather-loss disorder, as penguins already have problems with oil pollution and climate variation," said Professor Boersma. "It’s important to keep disease from being added to the list of threats they face."

Source
"Naked" penguins baffle experts, 7 April 2011, Wildlife Conservation Society

Camera-penguins' footage now available

JAPAN - Scientists from the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan, have returned from Antarctica and shared with the media some of the footage retrieved from the video cameras they strapped to the backs of 15 Adelie penguins.

The penguins may not win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, but the footage they recorded is fascinating as it gives us humans a glimpse of the birds' underwater lives.



Read related post: Adelie penguins underwater life caught on video

Source
"Penguin-cam" shows birds-eye view of life beneath the ice, 7 April 2011, Reuters

Positive news for Tristan's oiled penguins

The first treated penguins walk back
to their home. Photo by Katrine Herian/
The RSPB.

TRISTAN DA CUNHA - Some good news to report for the penguin rescue operation following the oil spill around Nightingale Island, with the first rehabilitated penguins released back into the wild, the arrival of a team from SANCOBB and vital penguin-cleaning equipment, and the setting up of several funds to help with the emergency.

First Tristan penguins released from rehab

The first 24 northern rockhopper penguins of more than 3,600 admitted to the "rehab centre" on Tristan da Cunha were released back to sea on Sunday 3 April.

"The penguins were selected from the strongest ones, with no visible oil on their outer plumage," said Trevor Glass, Tristan da Cunha Conservation Officer. "Of the many tested to see if they were ready for release, only 24 had perfectly waterproof plumage."

"It was an emotional moment to see these penguins released from captivity and walk into the sea and then swim off among the waves," said Katrine Herian, the RSPB Project Officer on Tristan da Cunha. "The Tristan islanders are putting hundreds of hours of their time into saving the oiled penguins and we hope these are the first of many to be released".

On arrival on Tristan the penguins are stabilised and kept indoors in the rehab shed, after which the fittest ones are moved to an outside pen. From here the cleanest and strongest ones are moved to the island’s swimming pool, which is refilled daily with fresh, unchlorinated water.

So far, 3662 oiled penguins have been admitted to the rehab centre. Since the first batch of 500 were admitted on 23rd March, only 373 have died in rehab, which is a survival rate of 90%. About 25% of the penguins at the centre are currently in the release pool.

SANCCOB team arrives with vital people and equipment

There are still many oiled penguins which require urgent washing. A team from SANCCOB arrived on the tug Singapore on Tuesday 5 April, bringing the specialised equipment and materials needed for cleaning the penguins, as well as vital vitamins and medicines for the rehab centre's intensive care unit and frozen pilchards to feed the penguins. Their arrival had been frustratingly delayed by rough seas.

The SANCCOB team were impressed with the set up at the rehab centre and praised the islanders’ efforts under difficult conditions and with very limited resources. 

The specialist cleaning equipment will be put into the wash-bay facility, which will be housed in two government containers close to the rehab shed. Hot water geysers, to remove the heavy bunker oil, will be installed for the penguin-washing operation, and infrared lights will be installed in a drying room. Outside, large tanks will collect and separate the waste-oil/solids and grey water from the washing process. SANCCOB logistics manager Mariëtte Hopley reported the washing facility would be up and running on Friday, when training would begin for islanders in the washing of penguins.

Funds set up to help the penguins

Thanks largely to the efforts of the Ocean Doctor, Dr David Guggenheim, the penguin rescue operation has been picked up by the US media, including CNN, which interviewed Dr Guggenheim (see below) and ran a story on 3 April. The more attention the media give to their plight, the more help the penguins will get!



There are now several funds set up to help with the rehabilitation of the penguins and other wildlife affected by the oil spill:

• RSPB Nightingale Island Emergency Appeal
• Ocean Foundation Nightingale Island Penguin and Seabird Rescue Fund set up by Dr Guggenheim
• Crowdrise Catastrophic Oil Spill - Tristan set up by Sandra Birnhak, Director of the Foundation for Antarctic Research.

I realise these are tough economic times for many of us, but if you can spare even a small amount of money to help the penguins, the people working hard to save them on Tristan da Cunha will certainly appreciate it. 

Read related posts

Sources

First Tristan penguins released from 'rehab' by RSPB, 5 April 2011, Birdlife International
MS Oliva oil spill at Tristan da Cunha finally hits the headlines - funding urgently needed for oiled penguin rescue operation, 4 April 2011, The Penguin Lady Blog
Oliva Tristan Diary, Tristan da Cunha Association: accessed 8 April 2011 

Penguin mothers get better with (middle) age

AUSTRALIA - As I leave my younger years behind, it is encouraging to find out that the middle-aged can do some things better than the young ... even if the researchers were looking at little penguins, not people.

An international research team has found that while middle-aged female penguins spent less time in the water, they were more successful at finding food compared to younger and older generations.

The researchers investigated the relationship of foraging performance with age in female little penguins at Phillip Island, Victoria. They attached tiny computers to the backs of 19 breeding females for one foraging run and monitored aspects of the penguins' diving ability.

Their findings, reported in the journal PloS One, suggest middle-aged penguins forage better than young or old ones because good physical condition and foraging experience could act simultaneously.

Dr Andre Chiaradia of Phillip Island Nature Parks, one of the researchers, said, "Middle-aged females spent less time under the water with less diving effort."

"But while diving, they had better hunting tactics so they were more efficient at finding food for their offspring."

The older penguins had learned to chase prey from the bottom, using their black backs as camouflage, while the younger ones approached the fish from above, exposing their white bellies and alerting the fish to their presence.

Dr Chiaradia added that middle-aged penguins were fortunate because they had similar strength in the younger penguins but the wisdom of the older ones.

"These factors seem to be acting together to make middle-aged penguins better at fishing,” he said.

"This information is especially relevant in years of low resource availability and probably influences the response of penguins to years when food is hard to find.” 

Sources
Old birds show young mums a few tricks by Leigh Dayton, 6 April 2011, The Australian
Middle-age penguins topple youth, 8 April 2011, e-Travel Blackboard

PloS One citation
Does foraging performance change with age in female little penguins (Eudyptula minor)? Zimmer, I., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Kato, A., Ancel, A. and Chiaradia, A. PloS One 6(1). 25 January 2011.

Protective wetsuit for bald Belle the penguin

SINGAPORE - Belle the Humboldt penguin can now join the other penguins back in the pool at Jurong Bird Park thanks to her new wetsuit.

The 10-year-old penguin started going bald last year - something went wrong with her moulting cycle and her feathers fell out but new ones did not grow to replace them.

Waterproof feathers are vital for penguins and without hers, poor Belle was unable to go swimming or keep herself warm and dry. She was also being ostracised by the other penguins because of her appearance.

To fix the situation, park staff provided her with very own wetsuit. The first one was made from the leg of a human wetsuit, but she is currently wearing a custom-made version that fits her much better. Staff are hopeful that the protection of the wetsuit will encourage her feathers to grow back normally.

Park veterinarian Melodiya Magno told the Daily Mail it was the first time any of its 96 penguins had been bald for a prolonged period. It is thought that this sort of feather loss in Humboldt penguins can be caused by stress or a hormonal imbalance.

She may be the first for Jurong Bird Park, but Belle is not the first penguin in the world to don a wetsuit. In 2008, 25-year-old African penguin Pierre at the California Academy of Sciences in the USA wore a wetsuit for nearly 8 months until his feathers grew back, and in 2009, 10-year-old Humboldt penguin Ralph from Marwell Wildlife in the UK was given one to protect his skin from the sun and has worn it for two summers in a row.

Sources
Penguin's wetsuit puts him back into the swim of things by Michelle Locke, 25 April 2008, Fox News
Pierre the penguin, 31 October 2008, California Academy of Sciences Penguin Blog
Ralph the bald penguin gets a new wetsuit, 11 June 2010, Marwell Wildlife
Water off a penguin's back: Bald bird able to fit in after getting her own special wetsuit, 4 April 2011, The Daily Mail