JOHANNESBURG — South African scientists are fitting young penguins raised by humans with satellite transmitters so they can track them once released into the wild, hoping to gather information that might one day lead to new breeding colonies of the endangered birds.
Researchers used tape and glue to attach a transmitter the size of a matchbox to a 10-week- old African penguin Friday. The 6.6-pound bird, named Richie, will be given a week to get used to swimming in a pool with the 1-ounce device before he is released into the ocean from the southern tip of Africa.
The first penguin in the project was released last month, and in all, five are to be released over a few months.
The African penguin, endearingly awkward on land and a gracefully efficient hunter in the water, is found only in southern Africa. Tourists from around the world who have seen African penguins in a colony near Cape Town might not realize how rare sightings are becoming.
The number of African penguins has plummeted from up to 4 million in the early 1900s to 60,000 as of the last census in 2010, said Venessa Strauss of the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. The foundation has raised the penguins being used in the study.
Richard Sherley of the University of Cape Town’s Animal Demography Unit recognizes his South African team is in the early stages of a long and complex process. They hope tracking the young penguins will answer questions about how early experiences influence the choice of breeding colonies.
“Not so much is known about the early life of African penguins,” Sherley said.
The tracking device has been successfully used in studies before. The groups said the device should stay on the penguin for enough time, possibly months, to provide useful information.
