MOSSEL BAY NEWS - An alarming number of dead African penguins - 14 - have been found over the last couple of weeks.
Only one of these birds had physical injuries. Eleven live, stranded penguins have been found on beaches along the coastline recently.
It was established by local veterinarian Dr Frans de Graaff that the cause of death of most of the birds was Avian malaria.
This illness occurs quite often in birds. It is caused by a microscopic protozoan parasite, Plasmodium velictim, carried by mosquitoes and only affects birds. The illness can't be transmitted directly from bird to bird and requires the mosquito to reproduce. In a nutshell, when the parasite load is sufficiently high, the bird becomes anaemic, weak and eventually dies.
What you can do
If a stranded African penguin is found on a beach or the rocks, immediately contact Carol Walton (082 364 3382) or S.M.A.R.T., the Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team (072 227 4715).
If a penguin is stranded on the beach, it usually means there is something wrong with it and immediate action should be taken. If a dead penguin is found, please do not leave it on the beach or bury it because the cause of death needs to be established.
Since the start of 2017, all African penguins that are released, are implanted with a microchip, and it is vitally important to retrieve the data from these chips. African penguins are endangered and in 2016 it was established their numbers are decreasing, with an estimated 75 000 to 80 000 left in the wild. It is therefore crucial that as many birds as possible are saved and Mossel Bay is fortunate to have SAPREC (Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre) on our doorstep.
ARTICLE: TERSIA MARAIS
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