Young Bird Island penguins ferried to safety

Birds had been flooded out of their nests

May 2011: Ninety-four juvenile African penguins are being ferried off Bird Island, part of South Africa's Addo Elephant National Park, to ensure their survival after their condition deteriorated.

RESCUE MISSION: The young penguins were moved to a rehabilitation centre

The precautionary rescue operation began earlier this month when researchers and South African National Parks (SANParks) rangers identified that a number of penguin juveniles were underweight and in poor condition. It was and therefore in need of rehabilitation in order to ensure their survival.

The first group of 45 juveniles has been taken off Bird Island by boat and transported to Penguins Eastern Cape in Cape St Francis where their rehabilitation process is now underway.

Artificial nesting burrows now in place
The penguins will be kept at the rehabilitation centre until their condition has improved sufficiently so that they are able to survive without parental care. The penguins will then be transported back to Bird Island and released again.

Meanwhile, SANParks rangers have been packing sand and other material on to flooded nesting areas to improve conditions for penguin chicks and juveniles on the island.

In addition, extra artificial nesting burrows have been placed on the island to provide more shelter for breeding penguins and their chicks.

An unusual amount of rain for the time of year has been experienced in the area, leading to nest areas remaining muddy or underwater. The flat topography of Bird Island and decrease of plant cover due to previous dry conditions also contributed to this situation.

In recent years, the conservation efforts around the African penguin have become more intense. In 2010, the status of the African penguin was shifted from vulnerable to endangered following a decline in their numbers.

There are now about 2,300 breeding pairs of penguins on Bird Island and another eight 500 breeding pairs on St Croix Island, also in Addo Elephant Park.