Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 10:51:12 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Charlie Subject: --Massive effort in South Africa saving penguins after oil spill MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi folks, I hope noone minds me forwarding a post from another list, but this is interesting. And notice the Maryland connection... Charlie > Bird Chatters, > Here is some information on the recent oil > spill off shore of South Africa. > > Aaron Lang, Education Coordinator > Prince William Sound Science Center > Box 705 Cordova, AK 99574 > (907) 424-5800/5820 (fax) > > > > >>Seattle Post Intelligencer > >>July 8, 2000 > >> > >>http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/bird081.shtml > >> > >>Massive effort in South Africa saving > penguins after oil spill > >>Saturday, July 8, 2000 > >>By MIKE COHEN > >>THE ASSOCIATED PRESS > >> > >>CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Oil-soaked > penguins were arriving by the > >>truckload at a treatment center in Cape Town, > two weeks after an oil spill > >off > >>South Africa's coast. > >> > >>By yesterday, more than 18,000 traumatized > birds had been brought to the > >>center, set up in a warehouse. Four thousand > more were being housed in other > >>rehabilitation centers in the city. > >> > >>Meanwhile, more than 10,000 untainted African > penguins have been > >>evacuated from their island home off Cape > Town's coast, driven eight hours > >>east and released into the ocean for the long > swim back home. Authorities > >>hope the trip will take them at least 10 days > -- long enough to break up the > >>spill from a tanker that sank off Cape Town > on June 23. > >> > >>"To see the birds in this state is absolutely > shocking," said volunteer Craig > >>Viljoen, at the treatment center. "The birds > are suffering, and time is > >starting to > >>take its toll on them." > >> > >>Volunteers of all ages, in bright yellow > oilskins, were pitching in to > >care for the > >>birds, which must be watched over for up to > two months until their coats have > >>regained the waterproofing destroyed by the > oil. > >> > >>"The response has been incredible. We've had > people from all around the > >>world coming to help," said Robin Thompson, a > youth hostel owner who is > >>recruiting backpackers to volunteer. > >> > >>More than 300 blue plastic pools serve as the > penguins' homes until their > >>release. For 14 hours a day, volunteers move > from pool to pool, coaxing small > >>fish down the throats of the birds, which > have no scruples about biting the > >>hands that feed them. Other workers thaw the > several tons of fish the birds > >>consume daily. > >> > >>An enclosure serves as a nursery for 400 > fluffy chicks. Though not tainted by > >>the oil, they were separated from their > parents and need to be fed for > >about a > >>month until they are ready to go to sea. > >> > >>A separate room houses washing stations, > where volunteers scrub wriggling > >>penguins clean -- an exhausting process that > takes up to an hour for each > >bird. > >> > >>Fewer than than 1 percent of the captured > birds have died, and veterinarians > >>say the rehabilitated birds have a good > chance of survival. > >> > >>"This operation is incredible. It's > fantastic. We're running smoothly," > >said Steve > >>Sarrow, the curator of birds at the Baltimore > Zoo, who was helping look after > >>the chicks. > >> > >>The penguin centers are being run by the > Southern African National > >>Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal > Birds. A team of more than 40 > >>international experts flown in by the > International Fund for Animal Welfare > >>manages the centers. > >> > >>The bulk of the penguins were captured from > Robben Island, home to the > >>world's third-largest penguin colony, which > was badly hit by the spill. The > >>island once housed a prison that held > political prisoners, including former > >>President Nelson Mandela. > >> > >>Several thousand more oil-coated penguins > were hauled from their burrows on > >>Dassen Island, a nature reserve 40 miles > northwest of Cape Town, where an > >>estimated 55,000 birds lived -- the world's > largest colony of African > >penguins. > >> > >>Treasure, the tanker that caused the spill, > was carrying 1,300 tons of thick, > >>sticky bunker oil, some of which is still > trapped in its tanks. > >> > >>The South African Maritime Authority said > yesterday that the slick was > >>shrinking and dispersing naturally, although > large patches of oil were > >still visible > >>in the bay. > >> > >>African penguins, which are listed as > vulnerable to extinction, are only > >found > >>off the coast of southern Africa. The > population is estimated at between > >>150,000 and 180,000. > >> > > ===== **************************************** Charlie Muise, Naturalist Frostburg, Maryland, USA And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the Bible were used to beat plowshares into swords - Alan Wilson= Watts __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail =96 Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================