Donations are being sought by the WCS to fund research into this problem.
Penguin chicks are facing a new threat – stunted growth or even death brought on by a mysterious feather-loss epidemic. A recently released report, co-authored by WCS scientist Dee Boersma, details the severity of this new disorder.
For more than 30 years, he has studied the behavioral, physiological, and anatomical adaptations of antarctic marine animals. His work, both at Scripps and in remote field locations, has broadened scientific understanding of the specialized adaptations of these aquatic mammals and birds and how they live and survive on the coldest, driest, and windiest continent.
In recent years, Kooyman has focused on emperor penguins, and how they may be affected by global climate change. The causes and effects of global change continue to be hotly debated by scientists. Kooyman, however, approaches it from a different perspective."
"What really matters," he says, "is whether animal populations are increasing or declining. If they are declining, the question is why? What is the cause and are humans the responsible agents? If so, what can we do about it?
A new condition is causing many penguin chicks to lose their feathers, with some victims dying as a result of the mysterious problem, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The condition, called "feather-loss disorder," appears to have emerged recently and is now affecting penguin colonies on both sides of the South Atlantic.
..... (Feather-loss disorder has been observed in African penguins, which inhabit the coast and offshore islands of South Africa. Credit: Nola Parsons)
A "naked" Magellanic penguin chick at Punta Tombo, site of the most important colony for the species. Credit: Jeffrey Smith)
BLOG: Punk Rock Penguins Protected
“Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species,” Dee Boersma was quoted as saying in a WCL press release. Boersma has conducted studies on Magellanic penguins for more than three decades.
"We need to learn how to stop the spread of feather-loss disorder," she added, "as penguins already have problems with oil pollution and climate variation. It’s important to keep disease from being added to the list of threats they face."
