WITH only one eye and after 181 days of treatment, an African penguin was recently released on Bird Island.
This male penguin has been in the care of the South African National Foundation for the Protection of Shorebirds (SANCCOB) in Gqeberha since February, after he was removed from the island, due to an injury to his left eye. The island, about 60km from the port in Gqeberha, together with the surrounding island groups, hosts around 3 500 breeding pairs of the African penguin.
Worldwide, there are only about 14 000 breeding pairs left, said Kirstie Paulse, marketing coordinator of SANCCOB in Gqeberha. Of these, there are approximately 4 000 and 10 000 breeding pairs are in Namibia and South Africa respectively.
“With their numbers seriously decreasing, it is important to save as many birds as possible, so that as many breeding pairs as possible can be preserved to ensure this species’ survival,” she said.
That is why everything possible was done to save the penguin when he was found with a deep ulcer in the cornea of ??his left eye.
SANCCOB’s vet removed the eye, after which a period of rehabilitation followed before he was released last week Tuesday.
“Research has shown that African penguins with one eye can survive and reproduce in the wild without problems,” said Paulse.
The biggest threats to the penguin population are oil spills, fish resources that are depleted by overfishing, noise in and near their habitat and a decline in natural breeding areas.
Paulse says education through raising awareness about man’s impact on the penguins must take place continuously. The public’s help is also requested in reporting any seabirds that are found injured or stranded.
The centre in Gqeberha can be contacted on 041 583 1830 or 064 019 8936 (after hours and weekends).
