VIDEO: Denver Zookeepers Help Sick, Abandoned Penguin Chicks In South Africa
DENVER (CBS4) -- The Denver Zoo shared new video of its bird keepers working in South Africa to help sick and endangered penguins.
"Every year, keepers travel to South Africa to support the work done by our partners [at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds]," zoo officials tweeted. Sanccobb is a nonprofit focused on saving seabirds.
"African [penguins] are endangered, & our staff are uniquely equipped with the skills to help rehab these incredible animals," zoo officials stated.
In December 2019, CBS4 reporter Shawn Chitnis spoke to a bird keeper at the zoo who traveled to South Africa to help save penguins endangered in their native habitat. It's part of a program the zoo offers its employees to continue the mission of conservation and support the species they showcase in Colorado.
Stephanie Hollister spent time working near Cape Town helping both chicks and adult penguins. The adults were abandoning chicks while in the molting process, where they lose their feathers and eat a lot to fatten up. The penguins are having trouble finding food and raising their young at the same time. The fish they depend on food that migrates and the birds are not able to move with them.
A lot of the penguins are sick, needing medication, hydration and tube-feeding, zoo officials said. Hollister said there were days they needed to feed the birds four times -- not only a fish formula and water but also electrolytes. They also deliver an aerosol treatment to their lungs.
The hope is that they will eventually be able to return to the wild.
"African penguins are endangered and there's a real possibility of them going extinct in the wild," Hollister said. "There is a huge threat to them."
There are ways the public can help save species like these penguins. The Seafood Watch app tells people which options are best for the ecosystem to buy and help reduce the threat to endangered species. The Denver Zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which chose this species of bird as the pilot for its program SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction.
The Denver Zoo has 20 different penguins of this species. Guests have the chance to meet and interact up close with the birds when they visit. The penguins will have a new exhibit space this year.
LINKS: Sanccob – Save Seabirds | SAFE | Seafood Watch | Denver Zoo
