Rescued juvenile penguin determined to defend itself earns the name Grinch
|Published
Durban — An African penguin that has been admitted at uShaka Sea World and named after the anti-Christmas creature the Grinch is on the road to recovery.
The penguin was rescued on a beach recently.
South African Association for Marine Biological Research spokesperson Nikhiel Singh said that on Tuesday last week, a juvenile African penguin was found stranded on the beach in Zinkwazi by a local fisherman.
Singh said it is almost three years since a penguin was found stranded on a KwaZulu-Natal beach and admitted into the care of uShaka Sea World staff.
“Although he was extremely weak, he was determined to defend himself against the soft hands trying to assist him and earned himself the name Grinch,” Singh said.
He said that on arrival at the clinic, Grinch was assessed for any physical injuries by the veterinary team and given a quick overall body condition check.
“Thankfully, he was free of any obvious injuries and appeared to be only slightly underweight for his age. He was, however, in the middle of his first complete moult which all penguins go through at around 18 months of age,” Singh said.
He explained that during this time, penguins are not waterproof and need to remain on land until their moult is complete.
“We believe Grinch was probably a casualty of the recent rough seas off Port Elizabeth and found himself in the inshore current heading towards KZN,” Singh said.
“Although he refused to look at us or eat anything offered for the first 24 hours after arriving, by the evening of the second day he could not resist the glorious smell of the oily sardines and started to show interest in the food offered by his caregiver.”
Singh said that as soon as Grinch has fattened up a little and completed his moult, he will be flown to Port Elizabeth and returned to the ocean.
Penguin specialist Kelly de Klerk said: “Today (last Thursday) is only the third day since he arrived, and he is already eating five whole sardines at each of the three daily feeds. He has not entirely forgiven us for rescuing him and continues to regard us with slight distrust, which is a good thing.”
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News