Image of the Day

Originally uploaded by nicnac1000

Image of the Day

Rockhopper penguin gets videoed
Originally uploaded by Sallyrango

Image of the Day

Pinguini Penguins - Sydney (Australia)
Originally uploaded by J&Konrad

Little Blues!

GO Boston!!

Boston meeting to devise ways to protect penguins

By Associated Press
Saturday, August 28, 2010

Every penguin species lives in the southern hemisphere, but that doesn’t mean the world’s leading penguin biologists can’t come north to advocate for the flightless birds.
Penguin biologists from around the globe are gathering in Boston, starting Sunday, for a meeting between conservation groups, government officials and the public about protecting the animals.
The one week International Penguin Conference at the New England Aquarium involves more than 180 people from Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Scientists say penguins are barometers of the planet’s health and 12 of the remaining 18 penguin species are on the World Conservation Red List of Threatened Species. Dangers to penguins include oil spills, habitat loss and competition for food from commercial fishing activities.

Source

Image of the Day

IMG_9617_2
Originally uploaded by quebella

More Riverbank Zoo Penguin News

Friday, Aug. 27, 2010

Penguins on the march at the zoo

By JOEY HOLLEMAN - jholleman@thestate.com

 

It was a potential zoo nightmare.
The first gentoo penguin chick born at Riverbanks Zoo was growing quickly, and at about 5 weeks old, had wandered away from his parents’ nest to the edge of the pool. Suddenly, two of the much larger adult king penguins crept up behind him and nudged him into the water. (Don’t judge. The penguins often push each other into the pool.)

Riverbanks Zoo has its first baby gentoo penguin. The little guy is still off exhibit until his non-bouyant baby feathers are replaced by adult feathers. The zoo has had plenty of rockhopper penguin births, but this is the first gentoo penguin born at Riverbanks. The young bird was born on June 27 and is being cared for by his parents, Jack and Zoey, in a climate-controlled area, off exhibit.

/Tim Dominick/tdominick@thestate.

Riverbanks Zoo has its first baby gentoo penguin. The little guy is still off exhibit until his non-bouyant baby feathers are replaced by adult feathers. The zoo has had plenty of rockhopper penguin births, but this is the first gentoo penguin born at Riverbanks. The young bird was born on June 27 and is being cared for by his parents, Jack and Zoey, in a climate-controlled area, off exhibit.

/Tim Dominick/tdominick@thestate.

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

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The chick wasn’t old enough to swim safely; his fluffy grey feathers weren’t waterproof and would provide no protection from the 40-degree chill in the water. Fortunately, a zookeeper saw what happened, rushed into the penguin exhibit and scooped the chick out of the water with a long-handled net.
The scary incident led Riverbanks to take the chick, who has yet to be named, off exhibit until his waterproof feathers emerge. But the chick refused to eat food given to him by humans. So keepers decided to let the parent gentoos, Jack and Zoey, join the chick in the small off-exhibit enclosure, said Martin Vince, curator of birds.
The results have been so successful, Riverbanks might change its penguin procedure. This is the first gentoo chick born at Riverbanks since the zoo acquired eight gentoos from SeaWorld Orlando in 2006. But rockhopper and king penguin chicks have hatched at the zoo. Usually, penguin chicks are taken from their parents at about three weeks and hand-reared by keepers for several weeks until they are better equipped to swim.
“We found a happy medium that kept him with his parent,” Vince said.
Jack and Zoey haven’t seemed to miss the bigger exhibit pool for the three weeks they’ve been behind the scenes. In fact, Vince said, they probably would have been more stressed by not having their chick around. They feed him fish provided by the keepers and they’ve shown him by example how to swim in the shallow training pool.
The water in the training pool is a balmy 60 degrees, suitable for a penguin without waterproofing. But it won’t be long before the chick is ready for the big pool. He has shed, or plucked, all of his fluffy feathers except what appears to be a cross between a mohawk and a mullet hairstyle on the back of his head and neck. (That’s the one spot he can’t reach with his beak.)
Preening himself with oil from a gland near his tail, the chick has begun to waterproof his first crop of black and white feathers. As he finishes that job and his wings become more strong and stiff, he and his parents will return to the big pool. Vince suspects that might be about two more weeks.
“We need to be sure he has all his faculties about him before we put him back out there,” Vince said.

Source

New Penguin Chick at Riverbanks Zoo

Baby Gentoo penguin born at Riverbanks Zoo

Published: August 27, 2010

Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia welcomes it's first ever Gentoo penguin baby.

The male Gentoo makes 9 total Gentoo penguins at the zoo.
The baby and his parents Zoey and Jack are being kept off exhibit until his adult feathers grow in and can be waterproofed.
His parents will feed him and teach him to swim so he can be released back into the penguin exhibit.
“We’re waiting to see how he does swimming and when he really learns how to swim well to make sure he can and then he’ll come out here with them so maybe a few weeks," said birdkeeper Sarah Guaracini.
The baby penguin does not have a name yet. His naming rights will be auctioned off at riverbanks Zoo-fari on October 2.  

Source

This Week's Pencognito!

Click here to visit Jen and all the pengies! 

Book Review--The Tourist Trail by John Yunker

Yunker, John. The Tourist Trail. Byte Level Books, 2010. Reviewed by Lin Kerns August 27, 2010.

______________________________________________________________________________

I feel privileged.

A while back, I became acquainted with one John Yunker through his online short story, "The Tourist Trail." I was impressed with his thoughtful prose, even then. When John told me that he was expanding the short story into a novel, I became excited. Finally--someone who can write and who knows their penguins. Truly a novel mix.

A couple weeks ago, John sent me a copy of his new novel and although I had other commitments at the time, I eyed the book, trailed my hand along the cover, peeked at John's autograph on the first page... I allowed the book to tease me with anticipation. At the first opportunity, I grabbed the book, made a pot of coffee, put the computer on "sleep," and then settled in on the couch to indulge in, what I hoped, was a good read.

Consensus: I couldn't put the book down; I devoured it in two days.

The plot: The story is populated by 4 major characters--Angela, Aeneas, Robert/Jake, and Ethan. Angela studies, counts, and tags Magellanic Penguins at the Punte Verde Preserve; although she loves her profession, she doesn't realize the vastness of the void in her life until she meets a raft-wrecked Aeneas. She follows Aeneas back to his ship and learns the largest lesson of her life. Robert/Jake works for the FBI and he is hot on the trail of Aeneas, who roves the seas in order to cause havoc and mayhem to would be whalers. Robert has a past, which becomes significant as the story moves towards a convergence of all the characters. Ethan is the young man who searches for meaning and purpose in his life; what he discovers will alter his life irrevocably.

Of course, the backdrop of the main storyline is inhabited by penguins and whales. Be prepared for a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye as your read how horrible the conditions are when these creatures meet their end at the hands of fishermen and whalers. John's perspective is a personal one and you are right there with him to see it all.

Overall, The Tourist Trail is a testament to how humans and the inhabitants of the sea interact and affect one another. As the characters learn and adapt, so does the reader. I promise that you will finish the book with a different perspective regarding our responsibility to life in the sea. John's prose is effective, succinct, and definitive. You will know these characters he has created and you will live their lives until the final page.

Let us hope that John Yunker will continue to write and gift us with his thoughtful insight; he is decidedly an author to watch. I also hope that The Tourist Trail will garner the eye of a Hollywood producer. I eagerly anticipate this novel converted to the big screen. Indeed, the book would be perfect for a big budget flick and the message within would touch so many more lives.

If that happens, I'll buy the popcorn.




PS

(You can purchase this book HERE)

New Gentoo at Riverbanks Zoo

Zoo introduces new Gentoo penguin 

by Janet Parker

Posted: 08.26.2010 at 4:05 PMCOLUMBIA (WACH)-

Riverbanks Zoo announced the addition of a new baby Gentoo Penguin, Thursday.

 
 
The Zoo is now home to nine of the penguins after the birth of the new male penguin earlier this summer. Officials say the penguin and his parents will not be on exhibit until a few more weeks when his adult feathers grow in. "When penguins are born they're born with down feathers which is that really fuzzy feather...he will not get his full adult plumage until he's about three months old and he's 60 days right now so he's got a little while to go," says Sarah Guaracini with Zoo. Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming penguins in the world.

Video and slideshow available at source--click here! 

Image of the Day

Humboldt Penguin
Originally uploaded by AnnerleyIRmacro

Image of the Day

The good folks at Phillips Island Nature Park go a long way in order to keep their charges safe and comfortable. These sweaters are used to keep warmth in or to keep a bird from preening due to exposure to oil slicks. How wonderful that people like these exist in our world.

Image of the Day

Who Are You Looking At?
Originally uploaded by Stuart Herbert

Newport Aquarium Penguin News

 

The Enquirer/Amie Dworecki 

Lauren Waller (left) works on a chinstrap penguin with veterinary technician Jolene Hanna.

Newport Aquarium's penguin love affair

By Cindy Kranz • ckranz@enquirer.com • August 23, 2010

NEWPORT - A mutual love of African penguins has sparked a relationship between the Newport Aquarium staff and a South African biologist who is visiting to exchange information about the endangered species.

Lauren Waller, who monitors the penguins on Dyer Island, off the coast of South Africa, is learning about them in captivity, while the aquarium staff discovers more about their habits in the wild. Waller, 34, works for CapeNature, a public institution responsible for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape. She's been working with the penguins and seabirds on Dyer Island for the last six years. She believes penguin populations are barometers for the health of the planet. "The penguins are kind of showing us that there is an environmental problem, and everyone needs to take stock and see what their responsibility is." Through her visit, the aquarium hopes to learn some field information to improve its management of the birds. In turn, Waller gets to learn how aquariums and zoos operate. Both plan to work together to help protect penguins in the wild. "We have this great opportunity to educate people about this bird that has just been placed on the endangered species list," said Ric Urban, the aquarium's curator of birds and mammals. The WAVE Foundation, the aquarium's non-profit arm, supports the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, a rehabilitation center in Cape Town. The foundation has provided funds for the rescue and rehabilitation of African penguins and other seabirds. It's also given money for artificial nest boxes to be placed on Dyer Island. Waller and Urban will travel this month to Boston, where they'll speak at the Seventh Annual International Penguin Conference, being held for the first time in the United States. Newport Aquarium has four species of penguins, including nine warm weather African penguins. As a field biologist with African penguins, her work is more hands-off. She monitors about 200 study nests on Dyer Island. "We limit our interference and disturbance. When we handle the birds, they perceive it as an attempt at predation. It's really stressful for them, so we want to keep our disturbance to a minimum. We do a lot of counts, a lot of observations from a distance." Only 26,000 pairs of breeding African penguins remain, Waller said. African penguins have been affected by a number of adverse conditions, many of them caused by humans. The penguins and their chicks burrow in "guano" or penguin poop to shelter themselves from the heat. But humans have disrupted their habitat, scraping it for the guano, which is a rich fertilizer. African penguins, which feed on fish, have also been subjected to pressure by fishing and by oil spills. The penguins are found in a small area, ranging from Namibia to the tip of South Africa. Since African penguins return to their colony to feed their chicks, they're very range restricted, Waller said. "They're a good kind of indicator of the ecosystem, as a whole, because they aren't able to very quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions. They will be susceptible to all kinds of extreme weather conditions," Waller said. At the aquarium, penguins are one of the top attractions, as measured by sales of plush toy penguins and the time guests spend at the penguin exhibit. Over the past three years, nearly 30,000 people have taken advantage of a Penguin Encounter, an up close look at the African penguins for an additional cost of $25. Part of that ticket price goes toward penguin conservation. Source

TN Aquarium Gentoo Chick News

From this....

To this....

In 50 Days!

Source: TN Aquarium's Facebook Pictures

Image of the Day

Basking Penguin
Originally uploaded by OwenMJ

More on the Drama between Penguins and the Military in Edinburgh

WORRIED zoo bosses have asked Military Tattoo chiefs to change their fighter jet fly-past routes - because the noise is terrifying breeding PENGUINS.

Plane scary ... how jets will avoid breeding penguins

 

The supersonic planes have formed part of the popular event's celebrations for its diamond jubilee at Edinburgh Castle this month.
But their flight paths take them directly over the city's famous zoo and it is feared the jet engines' 140-decibel din could see the penguins run in a panic and trample tiny chicks to death.
Last night a spokeswoman for the zoo said: "The penguins in particular can become distressed by the sound of the jet engines.

Spectacle ... Tattoo performance

 

"As it is the penguin breeding season it could potentially lead to eggs being broken or penguin chicks being trodden on in a panic.
"Because of this the zoo requested the flight path be changed as the noise from the low-flying planes can be stressful for the animals."
But Alan Smith, the Tattoo marketing manager, insisted the RAF and event organisers had to stick to routes decided by Edinburgh Airport's air traffic controllers and could not make changes.
He said: "It's not as simple a question as the RAF or Edinburgh Tattoo determining the route of the aircraft."
Mr Smith added that Tattoo bosses contacted Edinburgh Zoo as "a courtesy" to warn them about the fly-pasts after similar complaints last year.
And he said there was just one more to go this year - on Wednesday night.
He added: "We informed Edinburgh Zoo of the fly-pasts at the beginning of the run.
"I think that was a courtesy because there had been an issue last year with the fly-pasts.
"That was brought to our attention and we felt that if we were at least trying to give the zoo some advance notice then preparations could be made to do what they could do to protect their animals.

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"We are obviously sympathetic to the penguins' plight but we have one more fly-past and we ask, as we always do at this time of year, for people's patience."
The zoo spokeswoman confirmed they "were recently contacted and advised of military flyovers during the Tattoo".
The Tattoo has grown into an internationally renowned festival since it first began in 1950.
More than 200,000 spectators are expected to have watched the assortment of pipe bands, gymnasts, singers and dancers perform when the event's three-week run ends on Saturday.

scottish-sun@the-sun.co.uk

Source

Dublin Zoo Penguin News

 The Irish Times - Monday, August 23, 2010

Taking a p-p-peek at the p-p-penguins' fancy new glass-surrounded home

Shay the Penguin shows off his new enclosure to Rosamund McGreevy at Dublin Zoo. Photographs: Brenda Fitzsimons

The penguins in Dublin Zoo may look cute but they’re feisty in defence, finds RONAN MCGREEVY on a Penguin Weekend visit
DUBLIN ZOO’S penguin keeper Garth de Jong spent the weekend giving talks to the public about the birds, but there was only one question that children wanted answered.
“Where’s Kelli?” piped up one child on Saturday afternoon as soon as de Jong asked for questions from the visitors who ringed the new penguin enclosure at the zoo.
Last month Kelli, a 10-year-old female Humboldt penguin, was snatched from the zoo in the early hours of the morning. How and why remains a mystery. She was later spotted wandering around Rutland Street in Dublin city centre and returned to her home.
All’s well that ends well because Kelli’s disappearance did wonders for the profile of the zoo’s penguin population (all 14 strong) and their new enclosure, along with spawning a lot of bad puns about thieves p-p-picking up a penguin.
Unfortunately, Kelli was nowhere to be found on Saturday as she was nesting behind a rock and also molting, the process whereby they shed their feathers and replace them with new ones. Molting turns their trademark black and white plumage to grey and makes them look like they were left out in the rain.
In such a state Kelli could not join the other penguins in their dive into the pool for fish. Neither would she emerge on demand as many visitors had hoped.
Dublin Zoo hosted the McVitie’s Penguin Weekend with a treasure hunt, keeper talks, face-painting and games. The purpose was to highlight the new enclosure, which is surrounded by glass, and its adjacent little playground along with the chocolate bars named after them, but, in truth, no marketing ploy could buy the publicity Kelli’s disappearance generated. The story was p-p-picked up by media all over the world.
Kelli’s disappearance is not the first drama to befall Dublin Zoo’s penguin population. In 1996, all but one of the colony died in mysterious circumstances which was initially thought to have been caused by toxic paint. The penguins were replaced two years later.
The present crop are looked after by South African-born de Jong (“not the one who kept kicking other players in the World Cup final”, he says) who has been working with penguins in zoos for more than 15 years, long enough to be disabused of any sentimentality about them.
Contrary to what most people believe, the Humboldt penguins are not from the Antarctic but from the Chile and Peru coasts where the more temperate climate is closer to our own. They are also much smaller than their better-known cousins, the Emperor penguins, but small does not mean cute.
The birds are inclined to follow him around and will peck at his legs until they receive their daily fish. “They may be cute looking, but not by nature,” he says. “They are fiercely aggressive when it comes to defending what is theirs. They have got a habit of rotating their neck when you walk up to the nest. I heard an American researcher say that they are trying to triangulate to peck your eyes out.
“It’s not just that they are aggressive towards humans, they are aggressive towards each other with a peck here and a peck there,” he says.
Dublin Zoo has had a very good recession. When the whole country seemed to be going into financial meltdown in 2008, it had a record year attracting 931,000 visitors.
Numbers dipped slightly below 900,000 last year, though it was still the second best year on record, and they are back up again this year.
The fine weather the weekend before last saw 20,000 visitors through the gates and there were healthy visitor numbers over the past two days although the weather was a lot more mixed.
The relatively good summer we have had and the horrendously bad economic situation has helped the zoo maintain its status as the country’s most popular visitor attraction after the Guinness Storehouse.
Dublin Zoo’s marketing executive, Suzanne O’Donovan, says: “It’s the whole staycation thing – some people are not going abroad and they want to do something with their weekends rather than stay at home.
“The tourist market is down, but we are getting a huge number of domestic visitors,”she says.

Source

Scotland: Fighter Jets Asked to Avoid Fly Area Over Penguin Enclosure

Tattoo flypasts freak out penguins

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22 August 2010

By Craig Brown and Teresa Hunter

 

P-P-PLEASE don't p-p-panic the penguins! The Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been asked by the city's zoo to change the flight paths of fighter jets that overfly the popular spectacle because the noise is upsetting its birds.

 

Tattoo organisers have arranged several flypasts by RAF jets - which produce an ear-splitting 140 decibels of noise - to coincide with the presence of a series of dignitaries during its Diamond Jubilee run.

But Tattoo organisers have refused to change the flight paths, which take the planes directly over the animal enclosures on the city's Corstorphine Hill, saying that it is up to zoo managers to provide protection.

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh Zoo said there had been a number of exchanges over their concerns that its penguins might panic during their breeding season.

"Edinburgh Zoo was recently contacted and advised of military flyovers during the Edinburgh Tattoo," she said. "A number of flyovers have been planned during the Tattoo's run, whereby the jets' flight path is directly over the zoo's grounds.

"Because of this the zoo requested the flight path to be changed as the noise from the low-flying planes can be stressful for the animals."

She said that while the vast majority of the animals would be adversely affected by the roar of the engines, the penguins were most at risk.

"The penguins in particular can become distressed by the sound of the jet engines. As it is the penguin breeding season the animals can get very stressed, which could potentially lead to eggs being broken or penguin chicks being trodden on in a panic."

In an effort to minimise the impact of the noise, some animals have been kept in their enclosures at night. However, because the penguins live in an open pen, keepers have been unable to make any special arrangements for them.

Alan Smith, the Tattoo marketing manager, said that they were aware of the zoo's concerns and had forewarned them about the noise.

"We informed Edinburgh Zoo of the flypasts at the beginning of the run. I think that was a courtesy because there had been an issue last year with the flypasts during the RAF year. That was brought to our attention, and we felt that if we were at least trying to give them some advance notice then preparations could be made to do what they could do to protect their animals.

Smith said that both the Tattoo and the RAF had to abide by routes decided by air traffic control at Edinburgh Airport. "So it's not as simple a question as the RAF or Edinburgh Tattoo determining the route of the aircraft."

He added that there was just one more appearance by the RAF on Wednesday at 9pm this week: "We are obviously sympathetic to the penguins' plight but we have one more flypast and we ask, as we always do at this time of year, for people's patience."
Source

Africans Chasing Butterfly

(Thanks Cora, for the heads up!)

Image of the Day

Adeile Penguin
Originally uploaded by Ben Moat

Adeile Penguin at Rothera base, Antarctica

Image of the Day

Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) - Tasmania
Originally uploaded by Anaspides Photography - Iain D. Williams

This Week's Pencognito!

Click here to see Jen and her pengies home page!

Image of the Day

3 Penguins (2)
Originally uploaded by StevieG88

China hatches first emperor penguin

A mother of emperor penguin feeds her newly-born baby at the polar world of Laohutan Ocean Park in Dalian, north east China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 17, 2010. (Xinhua/Ren Yong)

A mother of emperor penguin feeds her newly-born baby at the polar world of Laohutan Ocean Park in Dalian, north east China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 17, 2010. A baby emperor penguin through the artificial multiplication teconology was born on early Tuesday,which was the first successful case in China. (Xinhua/Ren Yong)

DALIAN, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- An emperor penguin couple hatched their first chick in an ocean park in northeast China, a long way from their previous home in the Antarctic.
The hatching at Dalian's Laohutan Ocean Park in Liaoning Province was the first successful one in China.
The penguin chick was in good condition, according to the polar exploration department of China's National Bureau of Oceanography.
Under threat from global warming, the emperor penguin is the only penguin that solely inhabits the Antarctic. It is the largest of its species and can grow up to 1.2 meters tall and weigh as much as 50 kg.
The penguin chick hatched on Tuesday morning after 66 days of incubation, including five days in an artificial incubator when the couple deserted the egg.
During the incredibly harsh Antarctic winters, when temperatures drop below minus 50 degrees Celsius, a female emperor penguin lays only one egg and keeps it warm on the sea-ice. Scientists know little about the hatching process.
The emperor penguin couple were brought to China in 2008 from the Antarctic. In the marine park, an artificial polar environment has been built for them. 

Source 

Image of the Day

Sleepy penguin
Originally uploaded by Aztlek

Humboldt Penguin Rescued

Bird keepers at Dudley Zoo rescue penguin

Aug 18 2010 by Steve Bradley, Birmingham Mail

BIRD-keepers at Dudley Zoo had to p..p...pick-up a penguin left at risk by its mum.
They are hand-rearing a four-week-old Humboldt penguin chick after its mother built a nest on a dangerously- exposed bank.

Curator Matt Lewis said the mum chose not to use nest boxes within the enclosure, putting the youngster at risk.

He said: “We had no other option other than to remove the chick from the bank as it wouldn’t have survived.
“The nest could easily have flooded or the chick may have been taken by a seagull, as it was in a very vulnerable position.”
The chick weighs around 500 grammes and is being fed whole small sprats three times a day, taking around 50g per feed.

Source

Neat Story on SeaWorld's Penguins

SeaWorld behind-the-scenes tours offer up-close animal encounters like no other Orlando theme park

Posted on August 18, 2010

 

by Ricky Brigante

SeaWorld Orlando recently launched a new series of behind-the-scenes tours that connect guests to animals in unique ways. From petting penguins to feeding sea lions, a tour through SeaWorld offers experiences that can’t be found in any other Orlando-area theme park.

The Penguins Up-Close Tour allows guests to get close to puffins and penguins while learning about caring for these birds from aviculture experts.

Leaving the Florida heat and into the cold, carefully-regulated environment filled with penguins is a treat. The penguins all appear quite friendly with one another, often spotted grooming each other. While petting a penguin (briefly, with a short two-finger gesture to emulate another penguin rubbing them) was a unique experience, I found it more entertaining to simply stand and watch them interact with each other. One even reminded me of my own cat, just standing there squinting its eyes at the light. Cute.



Source



Click here for more of SeaWorld's Pengie Pics

Phillip Island Nature Park Penguins

Cautiously caring: Ros Jessop cares for sick and injured birds at Phillip Island.

Penguins treated with TLC

Sarah Hudson

August 19, 2010

DR ROZ Jessop is late for our interview but apologises on arrival. 

"One of the (Cape Barron) geese is breeding in the carpark and we had to put bollards around to protect her. I don't see why she chose there when there are so many other places to choose from," Roz says.

Why, indeed, when the goose could have chosen from the entire Phillip Island Nature Park, which surrounds the world famous penguin parade.

Ensuring the safety of a goose is all in a day's work for Roz, the environment manager at the nature park.

In particular Roz has the task of managing the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

While the island may be famous for its penguin population, which now numbers about 6000 breeding pairs, what is less known is its work in bird rehabilitation.

Each year the hospital treats about 150 little penguins and up to 400 other animals, including southern giant petrels, albatross and short-tailed shearwaters, as well as the odd possum and koala.
Aside from injured, heat-stressed and starving birds, by far the largest number of patients has been birds damaged in oil spills.

Since the centre opened in 1990, Roz says the largest number of oiled birds treated was more than 430 in 2001-02, when oil washed up on the island's ocean beaches after being dumped from an unknown ship in Bass Strait.

"In 1990 there was an oil spill off Apollo Bay and 112 penguins were sent here. At that time we only had a shed and a pen but the spill made us realise we needed a bigger facility," she says.
"We now have a much bigger facility with temperature-controlled pens, fox and raptor-proof pens and a large swimming pool - if they can swim around in that for three hours happily then it means they're healthy."

Birds stay from seven days to a month and are cared for by three staff.

"Most of them are good patients. Penguins all have their own personalities but as they get older they tend to get more angry," Roz says.

"They have a hook on the end of their beaks which helps them grab fish, but if they grab you and twist you can't pull away, you have to prize their beaks apart.

"I do have a few scars ... they look cute from afar but you do have to be cautious."
She says gannets have a mean streak, and often aim for the face of staff members, while pelicans are generally fairly well-behaved.

Roz says "the " " " number one skill is to have is patience" and remain detached.
"You can't get overly fond, you have to be realistic.

"When I first started I found it more difficult but now I just focus on the fact we are just preparing them to be released back into the wild."

• Phillip Island Nature Park or ph (03) 5951 2800.

Source 

Oamaru is proud and protective of its penguins.

Penguins on parade pull crowd

Mike Yardley | 19th August 2010

If you're a newbie to Oamaru, on arrival you will soon realise it is obsessed by penguins.

The souvenir shops are packed to the gunwhales with penguin memorabilia. Penguin statues, coasters, T-shirts, postage stamps, wall plates ... you name it. The bars sell penguin cocktails and the takeaway outlets purport to offer Penguin burgers.

But the penguin mania is well-founded as Oamaru boasts the most enchanting colony of little blue penguins right on its front door.

Located on the foreshore, adjacent to the Harbour-Tyne Precinct, the eco-tourism attraction has been sympathetically developed in the past 15 years, not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to improve the care and protection of our flippered friends.

The colony has become a fully fledged international tourist drawcard and, every night, hundreds - if not thousands - of visitors flock to the foreshore to watch the nightly parade of penguins waddling home to their nests after spending all day at sea.

The numbers vary throughout the year, as does the parade timing.

As a general rule of thumb, the penguins will come ashore just before dark.

So through August and September, the nightly spectacle takes place about 6.30pm.

However, through December and January, the longer days push the nightly show back to about the 9.30pm mark.

The visitor centre features a range of engaging exhibits and, during the day, you can arrange a behind-the-scenes conservation tour and see the chicks' nesting boxes.

www.penguins.co.nz

 

 

Source 

Zooborn's Chick Pictures

Name a Penguin Chick in New England!

Since late May, the New England Aquarium has hatched eleven healthy African Penguin chicks in their special "hatching room." Having grown steadily since then, they are now ready for their public debut in the main exhibit.

With so many chicks, they are looking for help naming them. Submit your suggestions between now and Sunday, 8/22. They are looking for names that will build awareness about African Penguin conservation. For example, an older penguin was named Treasure, after the devastating MV Treasure oil spill off the coast of South Africa in 2000. Our suggestions? Pingu McHabitatdestruction or Avon Squawksdale...




Photo credits: New England Aquarium
If any of you ZooBorns readers have your suggestions picked, please let us know, and we'll share the good news on our Facebook page!

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