World’s largest African penguin colony at risk Posted on 4 September 2019 Tags:African penguin, conservation, eastern cape, oil spill, South Africa, St Croix The African penguin colony on St Croix Island near Port Elizabeth is being put at risk by ship-to-ship fuel transfers happening at sea in the nearby deep-water harbour. According to The Conversation, the Coega Harbour in Algoa Bay has been allowing these transfers to take place for three years despite it being prohibited under the Marine Pollution (Control and Civil Liability) Act 6 of 1981. The bay is also a marine diversity hotspot and this penguin breeding island falls within the recently declared Addo Marine Protected Area. During these fuel transfers there’s always the risk of small leaks or tank overflows, and once oil has been spilt it is very difficult to contain. Two minor oil spills have already occurred in the area as a result of these transfers. The spills which took place in 2016, and again in July this year, affected 220 African Penguins of the estimated 15,000 in the colony. After an oil spill in Algoa Bay, SANCCOB’s rehabilitation centre in Port Elizabeth admitted a total of 21 oiled African penguins, 2 oiled African Penguin eggs, 1 oiled Cape cormorant & 1 oiled Cape gannet – all are endangered seabirds Thank you @SANCCOB @SANParksAENP @SANParks pic.twitter.com/Q0HCyjlTlj — Daniel & Jordan | The Timeless Voyagers (@timelesvoyagers) July 9, 2019 Oil spills have a severe impact on the penguins. Being covered in oil reduces the flightless birds’ insulation, increasing the likelihood of hypothermia. It also causes skin irritation and ulcers. Penguins may also accidentally ingest some of the toxic fuel while trying to preen themselves, which disrupts their endocrine systems. In the case of these two spills, important nests containing eggs and chicks were also abandoned. While cleaning efforts are conducted by the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to try and save as many penguins as possible, research has shown that oiled African penguins that are cleaned still have lower breeding success than unexposed birds. Environmental stakeholders have repeatedly raised concerns and asked for the transfers to be halted pending a cost-benefit assessment of the practice, but have yet to receive a response. Image source: Pixabay Related Posts The Lady in the Landy: Carla Geyser 7 February 2023 "We cannot sit back and wait for a miracle to happen; every one of us... read more 88 countries agree on shark fin regulation in historic vote 22 November 2022 Panama was host to CITES in November 2022. For the first time in history, 88... read more The big question after Plett’s fatal shark attack: Why? 27 September 2022 By now, we know that sharks are not the mindless killing machines that horror movies... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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