GREENSBORO, N.C. — When the African penguins Derek and Geirfugl were given their own room last spring, keepers at the Greensboro Science Center questioned whether they liked each other enough to take their relationship to the next level.
Derek
was more interested in interacting with her human keepers than with
other penguins. And when she did start to flirt with Geirfugl, leaning
toward him and flicking her head back and forth, the male bird did not
return the sentiment.
By
mid-September, though, the relationship had taken an amorous turn. On a
recent afternoon, they nestled beside each other inside a plastic crate
— on a nest containing two eggs. “Geirfugl
is actually a really good mate,” said Shannon Fletcher, a keeper at the
science center. “He’s done all of the collecting for their nest box.
He’s been very protective of her.”
In
the wild, African penguins, which inhabit the coast of South Africa and
Namibia, choose their partners from a pool of thousands and mate for
life. In captivity, the limited size of the colonies — and the need to
perpetuate a genetically diverse species — make human intervention
necessary.
The
African penguin population has declined more than 60 percent over the
past 30 years, and the species is now considered endangered. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums
runs a “species survival” program among the nearly 50 facilities with
African penguin colonies, including the science center here.
Scientists
gather the genetic information on more than 800 birds held around the
country and make breeding recommendations based on which are least
related to one another. The facilities maintain “studbooks” that track the information and carry out prescribed breeding and transfer plans.
One
of the newer facilities to join the program, the Greensboro center
started its penguin colony — now 17 birds — just over two years ago. As
it turns out, while the science guiding the plan is fairly
straightforward, penguin group dynamics are not. “One
day this penguin likes this penguin, and the next day, they’re not
talking,” said Carmen Murray, a former senior keeper. “They’re flirting
and trying to get attention, or being a bully and picking on a certain
one.”
Because
penguin preferences rarely correspond exactly with species management
plan mandates, the keepers are responsible for managing the penguins’
love lives, often by gently trying to convince certain birds that they
fancy each other, while keeping other potential partners distracted.
Breeding healthy penguins is both a science and an art, said Steve Sarro, curator of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park and coordinator of the zoo association’s African penguin program. “The
science is in the medicine and nutrition, and the art is in the keeper
staff, the institutions, knowing their animals,” he said. “You need to
be able to finesse your colony so you get the best out of them.”
Completed
in June 2013, the glass-walled penguin enclosure at the Greensboro
science center contains a 9,500-gallon pool of water against a backdrop
of faux granite rocks. The penguins here lead soap-opera lives, to hear
their keepers tell it.
When
Geirfugl was bonding with a bird named Kaapse, for example, the couple
took nesting too far and began hoarding rocks from the exhibit — more
than 100 pounds — in their nesting box, crushing a couple of eggs. After
the keepers set them up in a room with a nesting box and a few token
rocks, they turned out to be wonderful parents.
This
season, Kaapse and Tux, both females, bonded with each other rather
than males, because their former mates were both in keeper-designated
relationships with other females. (Little is known of gender preferences among penguins; however, albatrosses are known to establish same-sex pair bonds.)
When
the female pair began to compete with Apollo, Tux’s former mate, and
his new spouse for a nest box, the keepers gave the females one of their
own, praying it would prevent Tux from sabotaging her ex’s current
relationship.
Then
there are the star-crossed lovers Guinn, a male with prized genes, and
Jumoke, whose genetic makeup is less optimal. Guinn doesn’t much care
about that. “Even
when he and his assigned mate are doing well, he keeps coming back to
Jumoke,” Ms. Murray said. Guinn would serve the species by moving on, of
course, but he just can’t quit her.
Glenn
Dobrogosz, executive director of the science center, describes managing
the birds as a matter of prioritizing the long-term well-being of the
species over the individual preferences of the penguins.
“Some
people would say that’s not fair or nice, because you’re taking a bond
that has previously formed and you’re breaking it up, but we’re not
seeing any negative repercussions to it whatsoever,” Mr. Dobrogosz said. “Their
new bonds seem to be happy. They’re getting along, they’re building
nests together, they’re cooperating, they’re switching off laying on the
eggs. Ultimately, 10, 20, 30 years down the road, it’s better for the
species.”
Despite
the interpersonal challenges, the penguins have been very successful
breeders. All seven couples designated to mate last year produced
healthy chicks.
In
the wild, however, African penguins face continued threats, mostly from
people. The collection of guano for fertilizer has deprived them of the
material they use to build burrows. Oil spills
in 1994 and 2000 killed 30,000 birds despite rehabilitation efforts.
And commercial overfishing has forced the birds to swim much farther for
food. “One
hundred fifty years ago, there were millions in the wild,” said Mr.
Sarro, of the Smithsonian. “Now we’re down to 18,000 breeding pairs.”
Last
spring, the zoo association launched a campaign focused on restoring
endangered animals’ wild populations to healthy levels. Because of their
vulnerability, African penguins were among the first four species
chosen.
The
association hopes captive colonies will act as ambassadors for their
wild counterparts, building public support for conservation efforts.
Back
at the science center, Derek and Geirfugl warmed their eggs in the back
room as several other adult pairs sat on eggs in their nest boxes. Two
chicks born last year, Jordy and Keuchly, stood pressed together on a
rock overlooking the pool of water, grooming each other’s face feathers. “The
yearlings are definitely practicing,” Ms. Fletcher, the keeper, said.
“But they’re in that awkward teen phase. They’re trying to figure it all
out.”
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