Penguins Entering SANCCOB with Flipper Bands
Phil Whittington & Les Underhill
Animal Demography Unit
Here is the information about the first 26 African Penguins admitted to SANCCOB between 24 and 28 June 2000 and which had flipper bands on arrival. The data were compiled by Phil Whittington, a PhD student in the Avian Demography Unit, who has been meticulously following up the survival of penguins released after the Apollo Sea oiling. Information from Dassen Island was mostly gathered by Anton Wolfaardt, the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board warden there, and an MSc student in the Animal Demography Unit. Anton is researching the breeding productivity of the Apollo Sea survivors.
There are seven Apollo Sea survivors. These are birds that were also oiled in June 1994, and are once again passing through SANCCOB’s care, six years later. Four of the birds have passed through SANCCOB so recently that the banding details are not yet recorded at SAFRING, and are therefore facing their second oiling within a few months.
Please note that band numbers in bold correspond to the latest update (03-July-2000).
| Band number | Details |
| A0011 | Marine & Coastal Management bird from monitored nests on Robben island |
| A1804 | Rehab. as a juv. & released at Boulders, 28/8/97 |
| A5061 | Cape Town Harbour oil spill victim, cleaned at SANCCOB and released from Melkbosstrand 26 June 1998. This is the first of the 546 birds released after that oil spill to be found in this one |
| A6989 | Rehab by SANCCOB in 1998 (no schedule). Seen at Robben Is. in June 1999 |
| A07349 | Oiled, cleaned and released at Melkbosstrand, 21/8/98 |
| A08734 | Rehab. as juvenile & released at Boulders, 31/8/99 |
| A10278 | This was a chick reared at SANCCOB, and released at the Boulders 14/9/99 |
| A10284 | Rehab. as juvenile & released at Boulders, 16/8/99 |
| A10298 | Oiled and released at Melkbosstrand 20/8/99. Seen on Robben Is 27/2/99 |
| A10351 | Oiled, cleaned and released at Melkbosstrand, 6/9/99 |
| A10765 | Adult, blood sampled by Dr Cranfield, Boulders, 30/11/99 |
| A13703 | Recently released from SANCCOB, date of banding not yet reached SAFRING |
| A13721 | Recently released from SANCCOB, date of banding not yet reached SAFRING |
| A13729 | Recently released from SANCCOB, date of banding not yet reached SAFRING |
| A13736 | Recently released from SANCCOB, date of banding not yet reached SAFRING |
| A2000 | Released on Robben Island 19/12/97 by SANCCOB (not having been oiled). Seen on Robben Island with its mate 7/6/00 |
| A2406 | Banded as a chick on Dassen Island 25/6/98 |
| A3080 | Banded as a chick on Robben Island 22/7/98. Seen on shoreline, Robben Island, 9/6/00 |
| A5721 | Banded as a chick on Dassen Island 3/4/99 |
| A5873 | Banded as a chick on Dassen Island 9/8/99 |
| A7923 | Banded as a chick at the mainland colony at Stony Point, Bettys Bay, 17 Oct 1998. This is the first bird known to have come from a colony other than Robben or Dassen Islands so far. |
| A8362 | Banded as an adult at Dassen Island 14 Dec 1999 |
| A8755 | Banded as an adult at Robben Island 9 June 1999 |
| A10351 | Oiled, cleaned & released at Melkbosstrand 6 Sep 1999 |
| S8859 | Banded as a chick on Dassen Island on 29/5/89. Last seen on Robben Island 18/6/98. At 11 years, this is the oldest bird to date involved in the Treasure oil spill |
| S14314 | Banded as an adult on Robben Island 24/9/93. It was seen with two large downy chicks on Robben Island 7/6/00 |
| S19979 | This bird was seen with two medium-sized downy young on Robben Island on 20/6/00, four days before it was oiled |
| S20663 | Apollo Sea survivor. Present at Robben Island on several dates between May 1996 and August 1999. This bird was recorded on Ichaboe Island, central Namibia, 900 km to the north, on 22/8/96. This is the banded bird that appears in the picture gallery. |
| S21040 | Apollo Sea survivor. Regularly seen on Robben Island, and bred in 1996 and 1997 |
| S21518 | Apollo Sea survivor. Has subsequently bred on Robben Island and was present there 14 Mar 1999 |
| S21624 | Apollo Sea survivor. Regular breeder on Dassen Island in the monitored nest area at West Bay |
| S22728 | Apollo Sea survivor. Last seen on Robben Island, 26/12/98 |
| S23412 | Apollo Sea bird. Breeds at Robben Island. |
| S23655 | Oiled in spill off Dyer Island in 1995. Regular breeder at Robben Is. |
| S24071 | Apollo Sea survivor. Breeding bird on Robben Island |
| S24833 | Apollo Sea survivor. Seen on Robben Island 9/11/98 |