PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - There is good news in store for the endangered penguin, a northern rockhopper, which washed up on a Plettenberg Bay beach recently.
The Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre on the outskirts of the coastal holiday town, where the moulting penguin is currently receiving care, confirmed that the necessary permission had been given for the penguin to be released once it is back on its feet.
This comes to great relief to conservationists as usually, according to international agreements, these species are not released back into the wild as they have no natural resistance to diseases found in South Africa and could carry these diseases back to their breeding colonies.
But, the little rockhopper is in good health and all the necessary tests have been carried out to ensure that this does not happen.
The penguin is also being kept in isolation to reduce the danger of contracting any disease.
The penguin washed up on Nature’s Valley Beach about two weeks ago – more than 3000km from its breeding colony.
The moulting juvenile was discovered by passersby who contacted the relevant authorities, who took it to the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for the necessary treatment.
Mandy Freeman of Tenikwa said this species of penguin was mainly found on Trista da Cunha and Gough Island in the south Atlantic Ocean about 3000km from South Africa and South America.
She added that the marine bird was a vagrant species and was found way beyond its natural range.
There are two theories about how they end up so far from home including becoming caught up in currents while moulting or when they are taken onboard ships by sailors who keep them as pets while on their journey and abandoning them when they reach a harbour.
“The rockhopper found in Plett is undergoing a normal moult and is in the late stages of the moulting process.
"During this time, it is important that we keep him hydrated and support him through the process while he is not waterproof,” Freeman said.
“In order to encourage preening – which removes the old feathers, allows the shiny new feathers to push through and begins the process of spreading oils from his preening gland over the new feathers for waterproofing – we allow him to swim briefly during the day if it is warm.”
She added that because the penguin was not waterproof, they needed to ensure that it did not get a chill after swimming or was not wet when the weather turns.
“Because this is a penguin that doesn't naturally occur along our coastline, we have taken care to isolate him from the other penguins and birds in rehabilitation at the moment.
"This is for his own protection as his immune system is unfamiliar with the common bugs and diseases that our South African shorebirds cope with, but also very importantly so that when he is released, he doesn't take diseases back to the islands where he came from.”
Freeman said the injuries to the ends of both the penguin’s flippers had healed well.
“We suspect these may have been caused by keeping him on a boat in small confinement, and the initial congestion to his lungs is gone.
"He has settled down and become familiar with the animal keeping staff that are caring for him at Tenikwa”.
She added the rockhpper’s diet differed somewhat to their African penguins. “Rockhoppers eat mainly krill and small crustaceans.
His most favourite food at Tenikwa is prawns, which comes at a hefty price, but it is worth it, as rockhoppers are endangered and we are doing everything in our power to see him through the moult as quickly as possible and set him on his journey back to Tristan De Cunha to rejoin his colony.”
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