As the weather started to clear Thursday morning, two injured adult penguins and five abandoned penguin
chicks were airlifted from Bird Island island by helicopter and transported to Port Elizabeth.
As the weather started to clear Thursday morning, two injured adult penguins and five abandoned penguin
chicks were airlifted from Bird Island island by helicopter and transported to Port Elizabeth.
The penguins will be taken to a specialised penguin rehabilitation centre for treatment for the severe cold which has caused some deaths among the population.
Meanwhile the 3 000 penguin breeding pairs on St Croix Island have been minimally affected by the weather
with only 19 chick deaths recorded.
St Croix Island’s conical shape ensures quick runoff of rainwater therefore sparing chicks from the worst effects of the freezing weather.
The Bird Island penguin colony was badly affected due to a combination of both cold and wet weather and the island’s flat topography which leads to the collection of rainwater.
Although the death of penguin chicks due to extreme weather is a naturallyoccurring phenomenon, the effects on Park’s colonies are worrying considering the recent reclassification of the African penguin as an
endangered species.
St Croix Island is home to the largest breeding colony of African penguins in South Africa while Bird Island harbours a penguin colony of about 700 breeding pairs as well as the largest Cape gannet breeding colony in the world.
