OIL SPILL CAUSES WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO INDIGENOUS PENGUIN POPULATION

A large oilslick has been discovered along the coastline near Lüderitz and has already caused serious damage to the colony of African Penguins that are native to this area of Namibia. A small scale clean-up plan has been implemented in order to remove the damaging substance from affected penguins and prevent more of the colony from being contaminated. This is the largest oil related disaster in Namibian history. A sad scene met the eyes of the observer as they walked into the main yard of the Marine Fisheries building; huddled in cages and crates were over a hundred little black and white bodies, many of which were stained a muddy brown with oil; a terrible example of the destructive capabilities of the human over nature. The oil spill was discovered on the Wednesday before the Easter Weekend when the first affected penguin was
found. Since then the number of birds have steadily increased to over 150. The oil now surrounds Halifax
Island, where the main bulk of the colony is based, meaning that the final number of affected birds could be anything between one and twenty thousand. At present it is assumed that the source of the oil is a boat wreck in Mea Bay which could be leaking oil from a corroded fuel tank. However the quality of oil discovered does not share the characteristics of the diesel fuel normally used in small boats which makes it unlikely that the spill came from a local vessel. It has been suggested instead that the leak may have came from a larger boat further out at sea and that the oil has then drifted towards the Namibian coastline over the past few weeks. There is currently a clean-up operation taking place run by local seabird biologist Dr. Jessica Kemper. Volunteers have been washing oil from damaged birds by hand before they are taken down to a rehabilitation unit based in Cape Town where the penguins must re-learn how to groom and feed themselves. Kemper has appealed to the Namibian Nature Foundation for much needed funds in order to cover the costs of the penguin food. This has already set her back a huge N$42 000 and is set to increase as
the number of affected birds continues to rise. The evacuation of the birds to the Cape Town rehabilitation centre and the special soap, which is designed to remove oil from feathers and fur, adds on to costs. On Monday 20th April a truckload of 129 penguins, all of which travelled in cardboard boxes, set off for Cape
Town, miraculously all arriving in one piece the following day. The sum of N$20 000 has already been raised for the cause and Marco Fishing has generously been donating free fish to help feed the remaining penguins in Lüderitz. The Ministry of Fisheries is still trying to trace the source of the oil spill but at the time that this article went to print there was not a concrete plan to begin removing the pollutant from the coastline. Although both Namport and the Ministry of Works are partially responsible for ensuring that the oil gets
cleared, each organisation has commented that they have too little information on the spill at present to know which method of cleaning they should use. Mr Nangolo, the head of the Ministry of Works, visited Lüderitz on Friday 17th April following the report of the oil spill, and confirmed that whilst there is a National Oil Spill Contingency plan, which is designed to be put in place during situations like this one, no such plan has yet been implemented along Lüderitz’s coastline. Mr Nangolo also agreed that it was possible that the pollutant was leaked from a passing vessel, a hugely illegal practice which makes the source of the oil spill very difficult to trace. The necessary equipment needed to clean oil spills, including dispersant, is presumed to be kept in Namport’s Lüderitz offices although there have been suggestions that this equipment no longer exists. Namport has neither confirmed nor denied these rumours and will hopefully begin a clean up operation in the near future. A big thank you goes out to all those who helped to clean and feed the oily penguins and to everyone that donated money, time or equipment to saving the birds and getting them down to Cape Town.

OILY BIRDS- THE DAMAGE IS DONE

Oil is one of the most harmful substances that comes into contact with marine life, not only does it cling to almost every surface it comes in contact with, including rock, seaweed, fur and feathers, but it is also highly toxic when ingested which can often prove to be fatal. However unfortunately the damage does not end there for penguins- the only method of cleaning the oily birds involves scratching their bodies which destroys the interlocking nature of their feathers thus rendering their waterproof hides useless. These birds must then be encouraged to groom themselves again before their coats can one again retain to their original quality.