First - completely unrelated to penguins, I went on a wine tour and got to pet a cheetah. I'm not one hundred percent sure the combination of these things is wise, but it certainly was fun.
It was at a winery that housed a Cheetah conservation/awareness project. None of the cats at the project are from the wild or will be released, but they're animal ambassadors for an initiative to introduce large dogs into packs of livestock. These dogs then scare any cheetahs away that would attack livestock. Cheetahs are apparently cowards, and will back down from animals that challenge them. So the dogs never actually interact with the Cheetahs, or are able to catch them, so neither animal is at risk. This cuts down on farmers hunting and poisoning cheetahs. Their numbers in South Africa have been on a rapid decline for decades, and this project is hoping to raise awareness in communities about their plight. Or at least, that's how I remember it after 2 wineries and a whole mess of cab sauv.Back to the birds, I present you a stumpy penguin love story. (SPOILER ALERT: It ends sadly.)
This is 474 and 417. Between them, they've only got 2 legs. Prior to this picture, they were preening one another. Once they realized I was watching, they abruptly stopped, like two teenage kids making out in the back of a car, busted up by a bored police officer. I've mentioned them before, but here's a little back story.474 was at SANCCOB when I got there at the end of November. At the time, he had both feet, but unfortunately and painfully for him, his left foot was broken at the ankle and twisted so he was dragging the top of his foot around while he moved. This is a testament to how resilient these birds as, as he was like that for lord only knows how long BEFORE he got to SANCCOB, and they amputated a couple of weeks after that. In the week prior to the amputation, he had a purple splint that helped him get around without having to drag the leg. He was one mean S.O.B. while he was in ICU, but I'd be a bit of a jerk too, if I was trying to get around dragging my broken foot behind me everywhere I went.
I don't really know 417's story. She was already there when I had arrived, and had recently had her foot amputated. (I'm making assumptions on their sex, for all I know they're both boys, or girls, or whatever. I don't judge. As long as they're happy. I voted no on 8. WeHo shout out!). She was a bit moody and aggresive when I first got there, and hung out in the corner of pen 2.
As time went on, and 474 got stronger, they were both put into pen 2 together. It was here they fell in stumpy penguin love! I could never catch it with my camera, but they used to hang out in the corner together and preen, an obvious sign of penguin affections. They'd also lean toward each other, balancing on their outer legs, with their inner stumps together. You can only imagine how adorable it was. Days went on, and 474 got upgraded unto pen 10, to be ready for release. Once he was moved, 417's mood seriously declined. She got mopey and would just stand in the corner. He also was in the beginning stages of moulting, which probably contributed to his mood.After lobbying to have the two released together, we were sad to find out that 417 didn't have enough plumage on a section of his body to be released. It wouldn't have been fair to 474, who was perfectly healthy and ready for release to hold him back, and they couldn't send 417 into the wild without the plummage. She would get too cold to swim, and if she didn't swim, she wouldn't eat. And it takes a penguin 2 months to starve in the while, which you can imagine, is a really unpleasant way to go. So sadly, the two stumpy lovers are no longer together. 474 is out there in the wild, maybe finding a new mate, and 417 is living in home pen. Maybe she'll find a new mate in there, it's like the land of misfit penguins, so perhaps a different deformity will appeal to her.
In happier news, 453, who's been there since before I joined up in November, has finally started moulting! He was in an arrested state for a while, so he was brown, cranky, and always hungry. Whenever you walk into the pen, he follows you around and makes a loud braying noise, while shaking his head. I snapped these pictures of him yesterday. Notice his uber-fluff and puffiness.
Once I return from Kruger, I'll be sure to post pictures of his progress. (I FINALLY GOT THE VIDEO TO WORK! WOOT!) Below are a few photos of us feeding and another moulter, a new guy, 002. He's got a massive gash on his stomach, and is a bit cantankerous. Every time you touch him, a puff of feathers explodes from his body. So I'm guessing he'll be well on his way to handsome young penguin by next week.
Fellow volunteer, Chrissy, with her hands full.
Feeding 002.
You can't really tell from this photo, but he's a huge ball of fluff. By the end of the day, he was rocking a mohawk. I should name him Jeff Jeff. Or Ram.
Free feeding 477 (Buster). I'm pretty sure I'm going to adopt him. He doesn't free feed like a maniac, like most of the other penguins. You have to bring the fish to him, and he very daintily eats it. When he's done, he shakes his head and walks away.
I've written about this guy before - Confetti/Nearly Headless Nick. He was one of the guys I took care of in ICU on New Years Day. His neck looks immensely better. And he's full of piss and vinegar. A very aggressive bird who constantly picks fights with other birds.It's almost 10:30 PM Cape Town time, which is unbelievably late for me. Our volunteer house is usually dead quiet by 9 every day of the week, as we're all usually exhausted from working. So with that, I'm going to bed! Won't be another entry for a full week, again, as I'm going to Kruger! But I'll return with heaps of photos of animals! Woohoo! Cute stuff!
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