ケープペンギンの未来を救え　南ア保護施設

【南アフリカＡＦＰ＝時事】アフリカ大陸周辺に生息するケープペンギンが、今後１０年で「機能的絶滅」に追いやられる恐れがある。２０世紀中に個体数が激減したケープペンギンについて、専門家が警鐘を鳴らしている。（写真は南アフリカ沿岸鳥保護財団〈ＳＡＮＣＣＯＢ〉のセンターで泳ぐペンギン）
　南アフリカでは、動物保護団体「南アフリカ沿岸鳥保護財団（ＳＡＮＣＣＯＢ）」が、ケープペンギンなど病気やけがの海鳥を保護し、手当てやリハビリを行っている。
　健康な海鳥の個体数は、海の生態系の健全さを示していると動物学者らは指摘する。ただ、ＳＡＮＣＣＯＢの施設マネジャーは「残念なことに個体数はかなり減少している」とＡＦＰに説明した。
　「２０１５年以降、（ケープペンギンの）個体数はアルゴア湾で９０％、西ケープ州では７５％減少した。全体の個体数が減少していて、今後１０年で機能的に絶滅する恐れが大いにある。あと１０年で、というのは非常に怖いことだ」
　大雨によって流されたり、死んでしまったりしたケープペンギンの巣やひなも数多い。異常気象の他にも、病気や（魚の）乱獲、汚染など、生息環境は脅威にさらされている。
　ＳＡＮＣＣＯＢの施設では約１００羽が保護されており、ペンギンたちを最短期間で野生環境に戻すことを目的に活動が行われている。
　職員の一人は、「私たちは、人間の活動によってペンギンたちが長年受けてきた被害を少しでも軽減させようと努力している」と話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/07/25-17:36）

A small fish is dangled under the beak of an emaciated penguin at a South African clinic, to whet the bird's appetite.
The sickly animal is among dozens undergoing treatment in the coastal town of Gqeberha, where a dedicated rehabilitation centre is on a mission to bring African penguins back from the brink of extinction.
We are trying to reverse some of the human damage caused to these birds over the years, says Caitlin van der Merwe, a seabird ranger at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).
Threatened by climate change and human activity, the endangered species, which waddles awkwardly on land but turns into a fast-swimming torpedo in the water, has suffered a drastic decline in numbers.
Around 50,000 mating pairs -- penguins are monogamous -- inhabited the shorelines of South Africa and Namibia three decades ago. Today the number has dropped to 10,000 pairs.
That's a jaw-dropping 80 percent population decrease, which zoologists say is even more worrying given that a healthy penguin population is considered indicative of a healthy marine ecosystem.
The species declining, that means there's a big issue in the marine environment, says Carl Havemann, who heads the penguin clinic.
- Climate threat -
The centre is currently teeming with feathered patients.
Over the past two weeks, about 40 baby penguins have been transferred here from Bird Island, an islet home to one of Africa's largest penguin colonies about 60 kilometres off Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
Heavy rains have battered the island, washing away nests and chicks.
The little black and white birds traditionally dug their nests into a thick layer of guano - a mixture of droppings and remains that accumulate over time.
But the organic substance has been plundered for use as natural fertiliser, and the penguins now have to make do with branches or in cracks in the rocks, which make for a less sturdy home.
And for the first three months of their lives the birds are covered only by grey plumage that offers little protection from water and cold.
The rains caused many to drown or die of hypothermia.
With climate change, weather events are becoming more and more extreme and these obviously impact the natural colonies, Havemann says.
- Footbath -
Some survivors are being treated in the seabird rehabilitation centre's intensive care unit, where staff are busy disinfecting, stitching and bandaging wounds.
Footbaths, sardines and medicines are also part of the treatment.
In total, around 100 birds, both young and adult, are cared for in the clinic.
The goal is to return them to the wild in the shortest time possible, limiting interaction with humans to what is strictly necessary.
The penguins huddle together, their shoulders raised as if they are perennially cold.
Some are kept hydrated through a small tube inserted in their gullets. Desperate ones are euthanised.
For those who are fit enough, rehab continues in the pool.
If they don't swim, they don't drink, says van der Merwe, as she whispers soothing words to a small penguin furiously waving its wings while she holds it between her thighs.
It is suffering from borreliosis, an infectious disease caused by bacteria, and needs antibiotics.
Besides extreme weather events, African penguins are also threatened by diseases, overfishing and pollution.
Gqeberha is home to a major port and huge cargo ships refuel offshore.
Spills in the recent past have seen frantic attempts to rescue and clean up oil-tarred penguins.
At current rates of decline, African penguins could become extinct within a decade, according to the Environment Ministry.
The ocean has such a complexity. If we take bits here and there, the whole system will collapse, van der Merwe says.