Abstract
ABSTRACT As highly aquatic animals, penguins are particularly vulnerable to oil pollution. Penguins are increasingly often exposed to oil pollution, and the jackass penguin, Spheniscus demersus, endemic to southern Africa, may be the penguin species most exposed. The main effects of oiling on penguins are loss of the waterproofing and insulative properties of the feathers. Oiled penguins are capable of thermoregulation in air, but within 5 min become hypothermic in water (despite significantly increased heat production), and must retreat to land or die from hypothermia. Oiled penguins are therefore prevented from going to sea to forage, and die of starvation without assistance. Oiled penguins in captivity show a temporary loss of appetite (for about 5 days) but are capable of utilizing food and recover body-weight rapidly. In cleaning and rehabilitating oiled penguins it is necessary to remove all the oil as well as other contaminants on the feathers to ensure waterproofness of the feathers. Cleaning techniques have been developed so that it is now possible to clean and waterproof oiled penguins in less than an hour, reducing the total time for rehabilitation (allowing the generally emaciated birds to recover body weight) to 12.2 days (n = 84), a significant improvement over older techniques. Cleaning has been shown to be a workable treatment for oiled jackass penguins, with proven breeding success after cleaning. Recommendations relevant to the management of oiled penguins are presented.
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