New Details Emerge About Bee Swarm Attack That Left 63 Penguins Dead

A stunning scene occurred late final week in South Africa, as swarming honey bees laid waste to dozens of endangered African penguins. We’re studying extra about what occurred that day and why the deaths are a such huge blow to conservationists.

The incident happenpink on the Boulders African penguin colony in Simon’s Tpersonal close to Cape Town, South Africa. At some level between September 16 and 17, a swarm of bees killed 63 endangered African penguins (Spheniscus demersus). Rangers with Table Mountain National Park reported the grim information on the SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) Facebook web page.

Post-mortems of the birds revealed a number of bee stings, together with stings across the eyes. Many lifeless bees had been additionally recovered from the scene. Tests are nonetheless being executed to find out if the penguins had been killed by toxins or illness, nevertheless it appears clear that bees had been accountable.

“A bee nest must have been disturbed, causing the bees to swarm this way,” Ronnis Daniels, useful resource improvement supervisor at SANCCOB, defined in an electronic mail. “It’s an unfortunate case of the penguins being in the wrong place at that time.”

African penguins will sometimes get stung by bees, however Daniels stated nothing on this scale has ever been documented earlier than. The basis’s rangers are at present monitoring the nests “because if the birds had eggs or chicks then we will need to intervene to rescue them for hand-rearing,” she stated, including that they can not but affirm if the deserted nests belong to the penguins stung by bees.

David Roberts, SANCCOB’s scientific veterinarian, visited the location at Boulders Beach together with representatives from South African National Parks and the City of Cape Town. The investigators sifted by way of the sand, discovering a great variety of lifeless bees. Upsettingly, the group discovered greater than 20 stings on some penguins.

“The African penguin population is rapidly declining, and it is very sad to see the deaths of so many healthy, most likely breeding adults,” stated Roberts in an emailed assertion. “This unusual event is part of what can happen in a normal balanced ecosystem and if the penguins were not in such trouble already, it wouldn’t be such a tragedy.”

Roberts stated the African penguin inhabitants is depleted and doing badly, with an estimated 10,300 breeding pairs left in South Africa. The lack of any particular person fowl is “very worrying for the species,” he stated.

SANCCOB’s analysis supervisor Katta Ludynia stated South Africa has misplaced over 40,000 breeding pairs previously 20 years, the principle threats being lack of meals, competitors with fisheries, growing transport site visitors, oil spills, air pollution, local weather change, illnesses, and extra.

“Only about one third of all chicks fledged from all colonies will ever survive their first year at sea because they are not finding sufficient food,” Ludynia defined. “That is a tragedy and will lead to the extinction of the species.”

To guarantee the continuing survival of African penguins, SANCCOB is recommending that fishing restrictions be established round necessary breeding colonies. The basis, which rehabilitates tons of of injured penguins annually, can also be advocating for the hand-rearing of chicks deserted by their dad and mom, the results of hunger, excessive climate, and oil spills.

“The loss of the adult penguins—most likely breeding birds—is indeed tragic for this endearing species but let’s focus on the real threats and make sure the African penguin survives into the future,” stated Ludynia.

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