South African penguin fitted with satellite tracking device

HARD TIME: The movement of fish stocks is making life difficult for the African penguin

Hand-reared chicks released into wild
July 2011: The first African penguin to be fitted with a satellite transmitter has been released into the wild off the coast of South Africa.

The release was part of a conservation project supported by Devon zoo Living Coasts in which the wild penguins are being fitted with the transmitters to help experts learn more about the species.

The first bird to be released, a juvenile named Lucy, was hand-reared by SANCCOB (the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds).

It is one of five planned over the coming months as part of the Chick Bolstering Project, designed to investigate the behaviour of juvenile birds and learn about the pressures they face in early life. The goal is to use chicks abandoned by their parents and hand-reared to create new colonies close to areas of high prey abundance.

'This project could help save the species
Living Coasts director Elaine Hayes said: ‘One of the problems African penguins face in the wild is the movement of fish stocks away from the waters in which they have previously been found. We think this is being caused by climate change. The project to establish new colonies could help save the species.

TRACKING: The device is fitted on to Lucy

The transmitter is expected to relay the bird's position for about six months. The device was attached to feathers on the bird's back. Dr Richard Sherley, who is heading the research component of the project, said: ‘The device will simply drop off once the glue wears off, or when the bird moults at around 18 months. Hopefully, by that time we will have learnt some vital lessons about what these young birds do at sea.'

By the end of her first night at sea, Lucy was already about 40km offshore, west of Robben Island in Table Bay. She has since been more than 70km out to sea.

African penguin colonies are declining at an alarming rate, mainly due to a lack of food caused by over-fishing and by the movement of fish stocks away from the colonies - the latter quite possibly as a result of global climate change.