INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
Roses are red, violets are blue,
lavender is good for nesting & and so are you, could be the message
between these two Valentines. Pictures: Diane MacPherson
A diamond may be a
girl’s best friend, but in the African penguin world the females have
far simpler tastes. They’re extremely partial to sprigs of a plant found
in many SA gardens: lavender.
Well, that’s certainly the case at
uShaka Sea World in Durban. And the plant is not coveted for its oils
or culinary qualities, but rather as part of the birds’ wooing ritual.
Male penguins present their
feathered partners with sprigs of lavender, supplied by Sea World staff,
as material with which to build their nests.
And in fact, this aromatic plant
may have played a factor in the success of the breeding program at Sea
World – more than 40 chicks between 2008 and 2011.
The unusual practice – believed to
be a world first – began four years ago at uShaka Sea World as part of
an experiment to see which nesting materials penguins liked.
UShaka Sea World director Judy
Mann says the penguins are quite particular about their nests, so they
usually spend quite some time searching for the right materials because
they spend about 40 days sitting on the nest incubating their eggs.
Incidentally, both the male and female are equally involved, and these
creatures are monogamous.
You still bring me flowers& lavender has proved a favorite for courting Sea World penguins.
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
A staff member suggested they try lavender – and the rest is history.
“The smell of the lavender calms
the penguins down,” says Mann, “and lavender has some very strong
antiseptic, anti-bacterial agents in it, so it helps to keep the nests
clean – and the penguins love it.”
Mann says they’ve shared their lavender success story with other scientists at two international conferences.
“And whether the lavender has
helped our breeding programme success we’re not sure, but it certainly
seems to be one of the factors.
“Love is in the air and lavender is helping.
“So guys, you’ve got a new way of getting your woman – try lavender.” - Sunday Tribune
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