Friday, December 16, 2011
About 40 little blue penguins have been cleaned and treated for oil damage caused by the Rena in NZ.
A group of around 40 little blue penguins, cleaned and treated for oil damage caused by the stricken container ship, Rena, was released on Mount Maunganui beach in the city of Tauranga, New Zealand on Thursday (December 15).
According to Reuters, large crowd gathered to watch the event, with the penguins transported to the beach in coloured boxes.
The birds had previously been covered in oil that was spilled by the Rena, which became grounded on a nearby reef on October 5.
They had been recuperating at the Wildlife Recovery Centre at Tauranga, where they were washed and scrubbed, and held until their beach habitat was cleared of most of the spilled oil.
'It's the last of the penguins from Mount Maunganui. There are a few birds with some foot issues that are being held back, and there are some birds from Motiti Island that are still to go out, but this is the last big release of penguins from Mount Maunganui. So, this is a huge relief to our whole team to get these birds back out again. It's fabulous,' said the head of the oiled wildlife centre, Dr Brett Gartrell.
Before the release, wildlife experts ensured that the birds' feathers were waterproof to protect them from the cold water.
At the peak of the oil spill, around 360 birds were being held at the centre.
The operation required around 100 staff to care for the birds, with each of the penguins needing a meal prepared twice a day.
Source:http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Environment/2011/12/16/NZ_releases_last_big_group_of_penguins_697192.html
According to Reuters, large crowd gathered to watch the event, with the penguins transported to the beach in coloured boxes.
The birds had previously been covered in oil that was spilled by the Rena, which became grounded on a nearby reef on October 5.
They had been recuperating at the Wildlife Recovery Centre at Tauranga, where they were washed and scrubbed, and held until their beach habitat was cleared of most of the spilled oil.
'It's the last of the penguins from Mount Maunganui. There are a few birds with some foot issues that are being held back, and there are some birds from Motiti Island that are still to go out, but this is the last big release of penguins from Mount Maunganui. So, this is a huge relief to our whole team to get these birds back out again. It's fabulous,' said the head of the oiled wildlife centre, Dr Brett Gartrell.
Before the release, wildlife experts ensured that the birds' feathers were waterproof to protect them from the cold water.
At the peak of the oil spill, around 360 birds were being held at the centre.
The operation required around 100 staff to care for the birds, with each of the penguins needing a meal prepared twice a day.
Source:http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Environment/2011/12/16/NZ_releases_last_big_group_of_penguins_697192.html
No comments:
Post a Comment