PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - While the lockdown has slowed down many aspects of life, including conservation efforts, the Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) in Plettenberg Bay has been soldiering on.
Over the past month the NVT team managed to acquire the necessary permits to start up some important fieldwork enabling them to conduct one of their regular penguin releases. These releases see African penguins, that are nursed back to life after ending up on local beaches due to a variety of issues including illness and injury, being reintroduced into the wild.
Unfortunately lockdown regulations only allowed for a small number of essential staff to be present at the most recent release, but the initiative was live-streamed for everyone to witness on social media.
Not all their efforts had a happy ending, though, as at the beginning of last month the team received a report of a ringed Cape cormorant that had been found dead on Wreck Beach.
"It had been successfully rehabbed at the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in October 2018. The cause of death is not certain, but this shows the value of ringing and rehab, giving birds a second chance at a wild life. In this case, the bird had just over a year to continue to contribute to the population," the NVT team said.
With the necessary permits the NVT marine team also got back into the field to work on a marine tourism project. "At this stage we can only do land-based observations and are in the process of getting permission to do boat-based field work."
As a result of the work, interns put together an infographic about how to interact with seals along the Robberg Cape fur seal colony. Among the advice given is to maintain a 10m distance from seals in the water and ensure that boat propellers are not engaged. Visitors are also warned not to get closer than 15m from the colony, and preferably downwind. Loud noises should also be avoided within 100m of the colony, especially during their sensitive breeding season between October and January and peak pupping season in December.
As part of the NVT team's education work, they interact with youngsters from schools on various conservation issues. With school outings not being allowed during lockdown, the team has decided to review all their education resources and develop an educational video based on the team's "Adopt-a-beach" initiative. The editing process is currently in the final stages.
They are also working on a sculpture called "Goby" – a litter-swallowing whale sculpture made from recycled lobster traps, tyres, fishing ropes and steel left behind on beaches.
Local resident Debbie Fermor also started knitting stuffed penguin toys to raise funds for the organisations assisting with the penguin rehab and releases.
These toys are being sold in any colour the buyer wants at a cost of R330, of which 10% is donated to the organisations assisting with the initiative.
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