Penguins And Oil in South America
Rehabilitators and Researchers Cooperate to Prevent Losses
Oct 22, 2007
Each year as thousands of Magellanic penguins (Sphensicus magellanicus) migrate along the coast of South America, some of them encounter oil. Rehabilitators in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay clean and care for the oiled birds. This year, in cooperation with researchers from the University of Washington, some of those animals are being tracked by satellite after their release back to the wild.
Magellanic Penguins Threatened
On average 300 to 500 oiled Magellanic penguins (more in bad years) are found alive along South America’s Atlantic coast. These birds represent only a portion of the oil related losses. But it is still a significant improvement from the 1980s when an estimated 42,000 birds died each year. Moving tanker lanes 30 km offshore is largely credited with this decrease.
Despite the reduction in oil related mortality, the Magellanic penguin was moved to Near Threatened status by the IUCN in 2004. Ongoing dangers for the species include habitat loss and degradation, accidental mortality in fishing gear, being hunted for bait and food and pollution. Large-scale industrial fisheries contribute to the loss and degradation of habitat.
Oiled Bird Rehabiliation
The Penguin Rehabilitation and Research Network members, funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and managed in cooperation with the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), patrol beaches during the winter months and respond to reports of oiled birds, bringing affected penguins in for rehabilitaion.
Oil affects the birds’ ability to maintain correct body temperature and damages internal organs when it is ingested during preening. Over the past 30 years of oil spill response, knowledge of how best to care for oiled birds has increased dramatically. This knowledge has improved success rates but preventing oiling is the ultimate goal, as spilled oil continues to cause problems after the initial damage is done. Long-term physiological effects of oil exposure include liver and/or kidney damage and reproductive failure. The last is of concern in species like the Magellanic penguins which are showing declines in mature adult numbers.
Tracking the Penguins
Once the birds are treated for dehydration and other secondary effects of oiling they are cleaned. Penguins meeting health criteria based on 30 years of oiled bird rehabilitation are released back to the wild. This year, in a collaborative effort with the Magellanic Penguin Project at Punta Tombo, a 25 year project headed by Dr. Dee Boersma of the University of Washington, some of the birds are being tracked during the return migration.
The birds were released in late August. Six rehabilitated birds were fitted with satellite transmitters. The progress of the penguins can be followed on the Penguin Project website. There are also pictures of the release and the colony here.
The collaboration between rehabilitators and scientists to follow rehabilitated penguins will aid efforts to prevent the birds getting oiled. Knowing where the penguins travel will help determine what areas should be targeted to protect the penguin migration. It will also allow the researchers to find the birds once they are back in the colony.
Being able to determine the condition of animals whose migratory route is known will also contribute to minimizing the impact of fishing activity along that route. Protecting the birds’ food supply and preventing the penguins from being entangled in fishing nets are two important aspects of ensuring survival of the species.
Increasing collaboration between wildlife rehabilitators and researchers to improve long-term survival of at risk species, such as Magellanic penguins holds promise. Using animals which are already being affected by the rehabilitation process means that fewer healthy wild animals need to be disturbed to get information critical to their long-term survival.
Photo Credit: All Photos V. Ruoppolo, IFAW
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