It is Saturday afternoon here in South Africa. It’s hard to believe that I have been here for one week already: time is flying by…guess I must be having fun! SANCCOB has been an amazing experience so far. I can’t believe how much I am learning about penguin husbandry, the ups and downs of a rescue center and penguin stuff in general. It doesn’t hurt that I’m traveling with one of the Aquarium’s penguin experts either!

Speaking of the Aquarium’s penguin expert, Paul had to work today. Usually volunteers are given a weekend day off but because Paul is here at SANCCOB for such a short time, he is pulling double duty. Looks like they put him to work!

Paul hard at work

I on the other hand do have the day off. It was hot earlier this morning but has cooled down thanks to the ever present summer breezes. Between the temperate climate and the location, lots of different bird life to make its way to South Africa's southern coast. And while many associate SANCCOB with rescuing African penguins, they are committed to helping all sea birds and have many different species at the center (the COB stands for “Coastal Birds”).

As each bird comes to SANCCOB, the staff identifies the species and then gives it a unique code to track it while it’s at the center. Usually it is a simple abbreviation of its name and a number. This way they can also track the number of times that type of bird has come through SANCCOB in one given year. So far, they are up to 408 African penguins and lots and lots of other species!

List of birds that have come through SANCCOB

As with the African penguins, the goal is to release these animals back into the wild. Just Tuesday, SANCCOB released a giant petrel back to the ocean. It was quite the accomplishment-most giant petrels do not survive even a few days in rescue centers. But SANCCOB kept the bird for a month, rehabilitated it and then released it. Amazing! But when one patient leaves, another one comes in. In the past couple of days, a gannet came in badly oiled and only time will tell what will happen. But fortunately he is in good hands at SANCCOB.

Oiled gannet resting-look in the middle of the back and you can see a blue eye

What the gannet should look like...

In addition to the gannet, there are several gulls, terns and cormorants  here. There is even a rockhopper penguin that washed up on the beach of South Africa, a far way from home (more on Rocky in the future). Many are part of the permanent collection at SANCCOB due to their various lingering ailments or wayward travels. Some others will hopefully will be released soon. So it’s never a dull moment at SANCCOB—you never know what type of animal may walk through the door!

Gull resting poolside

Resting in the heat!

Cormorant checking out the sights

So it’s not entirely all about the African penguins here at SANCCOB. The staff and volunteers do a great job at taking care of all sorts of sea birds. Thank goodness!

SANCCOB...Rocky approved!

Another day at SANCCOB, another area of focus. Paul and I crossed paths for the first time today and were both scheduled to work with the younger penguin chicks. These are the birds that are well enough to leave the intensive care unit but aren’t ready to hang with the big boys yet. Some of them are quite small, weighing less that 4 pounds each! (For an idea about what it takes to weigh a chick, check out this post about our own penguin chicks at the Aquarium!)

Our charges for the day

Within this pen there are a couple of different age chicks, determined by where they are in the molting process. Molting (or losing their feathers and growing in new ones) is important to every penguin. For the chicks, however, it means a new stage in life. Chicks have a layer of downy feathers that they need to outgrow before they hit the water full time. Once the birds molt from their downy feathers into their waterproof ones, they can then head to sea for the first time. At SANCCOB, they refer to these birds as “blues”, as their new waterproof feathers have a dark navy hue to them.

Chick with downy feathers

"Blue"

In addition to feeding and cleaning their pens, Paul and I worked with another volunteer to make sure all of the chicks and blues got their medication. Many of them are on additional meds to make sure they make a recovery. A couple even get nebulizer treatments, where the medication is made into a fine mist so the chicks can breathe it in. So it was a pretty intense day of making sure all the birds got the treatments they needed. In total, there was 2 feeding times, 2 formula times, 2 swim times, 3 medication and additional fluid times and 3 nebulizer treatments for those that needed it. Add  to it this updating charts, making sure proper liquids were given, cleaning and making things were set for tomorrow and you have one very full day!

I see you...

As if things weren’t hectic enough, 21 new chicks from a breeding area near Betty’s Bay came in to SANCCOB mid-afternoon. The new arrivals, as well as our charges for today, are part of the Chick Bolstering Project that both Paul and I are so excited to work with. The project works to make sure that abandoned chicks are collected from breeding areas, brought to SANCCOB to be raised until the penguins can be on their own and then released. It hit me today watching the new arrivals be processed that I am a part of that project. I’m doing something that can help this endangered species, a species that needs all the help they can get. Fortunately, SANCCOB is there to help. And now I am too…needless to say that left me with a smile for today. And how could you not love that face!

New chick arrival at SANCCOB today!

Today was the day that I’ve been waiting for since March—I finally had a chance to put my foot down on SANCCOB soil! It was a great feeling to finally have that piece of the Cape Town puzzle fall into place and to see the rescue and rehabilitation center where I’ll be spending the next four weeks.

As with any new job, the first order of business are introductions to the staff and other volunteers that are working to help better the lives of the African penguins and other seabirds that come through SANCCOB’s doors. There were lots of cheerful faces at the morning meeting, volunteers from all over the world ready to get to work. The SANCCOB staff was great at making sure everyone was clear on their assignments and then it was off to the races…or to the penguin pens!



Penguin holding pens

After a quick tour of the buildings and different penguin housing areas, Paul and I headed to our assignments. Paul went to off to help a volunteer named Sophie to do some larger tasks (laundry, defrost fish, do dishes, make fish milkshakes for the new chicks). I was assigned to be the volunteer buddy of Jen and together we were going to tackle the mysterious task of “mats and crates”.



Laundry...lots of laundry


Okay, a little biology refresher. Penguins are birds. If you have had a bird poop on your car you are well aware it’s not pretty. Well, penguins poop... a lot. Over everything—including the mats that they stand on and the large, oversized milk crates that some of the weaker birds rest in. So poop gets everywhere. And at SANCCOB (and the Aquarium) poop needs to be cleaned up. Thankfully, Jen and I were on cleaning duty today!


Oilskin pants to keep dry

We took all the dirty mats and crates and then started the soak, pre-rinse, wash, rinse, wash and rinse cycle, using a special veterinarian disinfectant and an industrial strength power washer. It was a lot of work but rewarding to see the pile of clean mats at the end of the day. Because of our hard work, a penguin would have a nice clean spot to stand or lie down. Until they poop on it again.


Tools of the trade

So all in all, a great day filled with seeing SANCCOB for the first time, meeting new people and cleaning penguin poop. It’s nice to begin to see first hand the great work that SANCCOB does and also it’s nice to be a part of it. I know there is a lot more to come and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow may bring!

Jo

After packing up, two long flights, a lengthy layover at Heathrow and convincing a passport agent that while I was very excited to visit South Africa I would be returning to the U.S. at some point, I’m here! Though the forecast called for rain, my first day in Cape Town turned out to be sunny and gorgeous.

Sunny Cape Town

For those of you that need a geography refresher, Cape Town is on the western side, the Atlantic Ocean side, of South Africa. Because of the Atlantic Ocean influence, Cape Town is keep cooler that many parts of South Africa and the ocean temperatures are...well…cold. However, this makes it perfect for African penguins!

Cape Town on the left...Atlantic Ocean!

I have had many people ask me “how can penguins live in Africa when it’s so hot?” We do hear a lot about the Emperor penguin who use Antarctica as a nesting area or see commercials with penguins playing on ice bergs. Believe it or not, most penguin species do not live any where near Antarctica, the African penguin included. This temperate species can live with warmer air temperatures but like all penguins rely on cold water temperatures. These cold, oxygen rich waters bring lots of nutrients to the party and before you know it, the food web has exploded! And it all boils down to lots fish which means lots of food for penguins. And that’s why we’re here…penguins.

Sardines-yum!

Now while I’ve arrived, there is one more Aquarium employee who is currently making the trek to South Africa. Paul Leonard is part of the penguin husbandry staff and one of those responsible for the daily goings-on in our penguin exhibit. He’ll also be working at SANCCOB where his expertise in everything penguin will be well received (check out the blog on his experience here). Once he arrives, we have only one day to get acclimated and settled before we show up for our first day of work. So no rest for the weary! It will be a few busy days ahead but ones that make me excited with the endless possibilities ahead!

Learn more about the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, or SANCCOB and their Chick Bolstering Project. 

Follow the adventures of Jo's co-worker, Paul! Aquarium penguin biologist Paul Leonard is also in South Africa to study and care for African penguins in the Southern Hemisphere! Read about his experience on the Penguin Blog.