Survival And Movements Of Rehabilitated Magellanic Penguins
This study evaluated the long-term success of rehabilitating Magellanic penguins following exposure to oil spills. Since Magellanic penguins can travel thousands of kilometres and have a very large population, the likelihood of resightings is low. However, of the 2183 penguins rehabilitated and released between 2000 and 2010, 41 were seen again. These findings indicate rehabilitation can mitigate the negative effects of oil spills on Magellanic penguins.
“Oil pollution is a significant conservation concern. We examined data from six institutions along the coast of South America: Emergency Relief Team of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Fundación Mundo Marino, Centro de Recuperação de Animais Marinhos, Natura Patagonia, Associação R3 Animal, and Mar del Plata Aquarium and data from resightings in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Falkland/Malvinas Islands.”
“From 2000 to 2010, 2183 oiled Magellanic penguins were rehabilitated as part of the routine activities of these institutions or during emergency responses to eight oil spills in which they were involved; all rehabilitated penguins were flipper banded and released. Since their release, 41 penguins were resighted until 31 December 2011.”
“The results demonstrate that, when combined with other prevention strategies, the rehabilitation of Magellanic penguins is a strategy that contributes to the mitigation of adverse effects of oil spills and chronic pollution to the species.”
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.05.009