It was a pink spot day on Mercury Island when a Namibian conservationist spotted the first African penguin back home after a recent 4-week stint of rehabilitated at SANCCOB.
On 8 June, just 18 days after their release from Derdesteen Beach in Cape Town the first of a group of 129 penguins, which have been successfully rehabilitated at SANCCOB, was seen back at its original breeding colony of Mercury Island.
After his release from Derdesteen Beach, he was spotted on Robben Island on 25 May (4 days after being released from Derdesteen Beach). With this confirmed sighting on 25 May, this would mean that his actual swimming time was a fantastic 14 days!
At a total distance of 1019km, he averaged 72.7km per day!
So, if you play the lotto, you may want to remember the lucky numbers A10885 because that’s the tenacious little tike that won the race to get back home.
As with all collectives of animals one immediately stood out as the feistiest and was immediately dubbed ‘Black Angus’ as it fought its way through rehab, pecking the handlers randomly and generally taking charge.
Weighing in at 2,8kg on admittance, which is a respectable weight for a penguin and put him ahead in the weight-class of his fellow refugees, he pretty much doubled his weight as he ate his way through prime Sardine a la SANCCOB, to finally weigh in at 4.1kg on his release.
Of course it was he who strode out ahead of the group at the beach release, and first to take to the waters. And follows that he had to be the one to win the long swim home, to strike familiar soil shore and to announce triumphantly to his fellow Mercurians “Black Angus is back!’.
SANCCOB thanks all readers, listeners and volunteers who have followed the story of the 129 African penguins oiled off the coast of Luderitz as well as helped us with “Getting our birds back on their feet.”
The Miss Earth South Africa Finalists, participated in the cleaning of these penguins, Ella was the project leader. Girls that participated were Mahlatse, Ashleigh, Riandi, Maxzell, Bianca Da Silva, Yolanda, Chanell, Cherise.
Miss Earth South Africa in association with Consol 2009 was crowned this weekend at Emperors Palace. Coastal beauty clinched the prestigious title amongst 16 national finalists from across South Africa. 20 year old Chanel Grantham is the first Coastal beauty to take the title. Chanel is flanked by 1st runner up, Cherise Biagio of Johannesburg, 2nd runner up, Hermanus beauty, Maxzell Lerm and 3rd Runner up, Mahlatse Mkhawana of Soweto. Grantham is a BSc Property Management student and will represent SA at the International Miss Earth 2009 to take place in the Philippines later this year.
