Every Penguin in the World by Charles Bergman

Author:Charles Bergman [Bergman, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sasquatch Books
Published: 2020-04-14T00:00:00+00:00

Cape Town, South Africa

33.9249° S, 18.4241° E

ABOUT TWO DOZEN adult penguins darted around the swimming pool. Two young penguins looked at us through the window of a pet carrier. Before I could see any baby penguins inside, an adult penguin with a spectacular crest of thick yellow feathers marched up to us.

Northern Rockhopper Penguins, Tristan da Cunha Archipelago, British Overseas Territory

African Penguin, Robben Island, South Africa

She rocked back on her heels and looked up at me.

“Meet Rocky,” Nola Parsons said. “She’s our resident northern rockhopper. I should warn you, Rocky thinks she’s the Queen of the Rehab.”

At that point in time, Susan and I had not yet seen a northern rockhopper penguin. Nor had we come to the rehab center with any idea we’d see one. We had come to see the emaciated penguins we had shipped over from Robben Island.

Nola Parsons was the chief veterinarian for the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). It’s a mouthful. The organization takes in seabirds of all kinds in South Africa. Rocky was one of about 1,500 penguins that show up at SANCCOB every year. By the time they get to SANCCOB, they’re in bad shape, often near death. Rocky had been found on a beach to the east. Her feet were swollen, she was starving, and she had several infections.

“That was four years ago,” Parsons said. “Now she rules the rehab.”

Rocky had come over to inspect us, since we were new to SANCCOB. Parsons assured her we were okay. We turned back to the baby penguins. Rocky left. “She’s going to the laundry room.” Parsons smiled. “She likes the heat from the dryers.”

Inside the pen, the two baby penguins that had shocked us on the first day on Robben Island had been growing up. Now about seventeen days later, they had put on weight, lost their down, and were “baby blue” African penguins. Once near death, they looked great. They looked fully recovered.

During the ten days we were working on Robben Island, we rescued about one seabird per day, including a cormorant, two Cape gannets, and two Hartlaub’s gulls—handsome seabirds with delicate black beaks and legs. They’re endemic, endangered, and the seventh-rarest gulls in the world.

We sent five penguins over to SANCCOB for more complete veterinary treatment.

“These two penguins are doing fine,” Parsons said. “The other three were too far gone.” They were beyond help. I was happy to see two of the penguins obviously doing very well.

“Let’s go see what Rocky is doing,” she said.

We found Rocky near a dryer in use.

She was special and she owned it. Why she would like the laundry room was a mystery, since she came from the cold climate of the South Atlantic. “It’s crazy,” Parsons said, “but she loves to be warm and cozy.”

“Rocky’s got the ‘wow factor,’ ” Parsons said. “She mesmerizes people. She’s friendly and fun and kids can get close to her. Even touch her.”

With her charisma, Rocky was named the official “ambassador penguin” for Cape Town. She

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