PORT ELIZABETH - 72 REHABILITATED AFRICAN PENGUINS RELEASED AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN OIL SPILL

Pic: Ian Gray, NSRI

At 09h00 Wednesday morning, 15 September 2016 NSRI Port Elizabeth duty crew launched the Sea Rescue boat Eikos Rescuer IV to assist SANParks with the release of 72 African penguins back into their colony on St Croix Island.

Port Elizabeth station commander Ian Gray said, ”The birds were oiled late in August and have now been rehabilitated by the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).”

The Sea Rescue volunteers rendezvoused with a SAN Parks vessel and SANCCOB at the Port of Ngqura. The penguins in their boxes were loaded onto the Sea Rescue vessel, the SAN Parks boat and “Xtreme 6” (a 8.5m RIB kindly loaned by Kevin Kelly of Xtreme Projects to assist with the operation) and taken from the Port to St Croix Island.

Sea conditions were calm and conditions for the release was very good. The birds were released from the boats into the water without incident.

VIA - nsri.org.za