"Penguin Lady' Dyan deNapoUtells the story of the world'slargest animal rescue mission/ l s U I* r R $ J ^ NC E V

Drenched in oilspilled from a

wrecked ship, thispenguin wont

survive unless itis cleaned.

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The summer of2000,1 had justfinished my roundstending to the NewEngland Aquarium's

60 penguins when I got anurgent call from South Africa.The manager of SANCCOB,a seabird rescue center inCape Town, was on the line.The region's penguins werein trouble. The cargo shipMV Treasure had sunk off thecoast of Cape Town, creatingan oil spill. Thirteen hundredtons of fuel oil were flowingnear Robben Island, rightin the middle of the Africanpenguins' primary habitat. Ina matter of days, thick, toxicliquid had covered about20,000 penguins. Withoutswift help, the seabirds wouldhave no chance for survival.

SANCCOB had launched amassive rescue operation forthe oiled penguins. Volunteerswere showing up by thethousands, but they had noexperience. The center neededpenguin keepers to train thevolunteers. Would I help?

Two days later, I boardeda plane to South Africa.

"MTords to knowoU—a fossil fuel that comesfrom deep underground

habitat—a natural place for thelife and growth of an organism

degreaser—a cleaning agentthat breaks up oil

stench—a strong bad smell

I was about to take partin what would becomethe largest animal rescueoperation ever attempted.

A Startling SilenceJust outside ^

Cape Town, a largewarehouse hadbeen turned intoa rescue center forthe oiled penguins.The rescuers had setup makeshift pools,which held about 100oiled birds each. Hundredsof pools covered the floor.

When I first walked into thebuilding, I couldn't believemy ears. Normally, Africanpenguins are vocal birds. Iexpected to walk in to a chorusof honking and squawking.Instead, the center soundedlike a library. Only the hushedvoices of people could be heard.The penguins were dead silent.

I felt overwhelmed. My heartached for the distressed birds.Cleaning them all seemed likean impossible task. But we hadto carry on like doctors in anemergency room. There was

^.^___^ no time for doubt.

Bird BathCleaning oil off

a penguin isn'teasy. It takes twopeople—one tohold the penguin,another to do the

washing. The bird is sprayedwith a degreaser and scrubbedwith warm, soapy water.Delicate areas around theface must be brushed witha toothbrush. Then the birdgets rinsed under a hose. Thewhole process takes aboutan hour. Even with morethan 12,500 volunteers, ittook a month to bathe all20,000 birds at the center.

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Volunteers knit sweaters to helpkeep young penguins warm(left). After weeks of recovery,healthy penguins, marked withhot-pink ink, are ready to bereleased into the wild.

The Spreading SpillWhile workers bathed

penguins at the rescue center,another crisis was developing.Oil from the spill had startedmoving north toward Dassen

Island (see Spill Zone). Tens ofthousands of penguins were inthe oil's path. But we alreadyhad our hands full with 20,000recovering birds. Supplies wererunning low. If any more birds

SPILLZONE

After Treasuresank, winds carried ;the oil slicl< nortli. "oceanThe penguins ofRobben Islandwere oiled whileswimming for fish.Workers evacuatedDassen Island'spenguins before <the spill reachedits shores.

IndianOcean

were oiled, we wouldn't haveenough resources to save them.

One researcher came up withan idea: What if the Dassenpenguins were temporarilymoved out of harm's way?The method had never beentried before. Experts decidedto give it a chance. Workersrounded up a large numberof the penguins on DassenIsland and released themnear Port Elizabeth, 500 milesaway. The hope was that bythe time the seabirds swamhome, the oil would be gone.The plan worked! Another20,000 penguins were saved.

Amazing RescueThe entire penguin rescue

operation took about threemonths. In the end, more

S U P E R S C I E N C E

than 90 percent of the oiledpenguins were successfullyreturned to the wild. In aprevious large-scale penguinrescue, only half of the oiledbirds survived. We could hardlybelieve that our efforts worked!

But for me, the most inspiringpart was the work of thevolunteers. Rescuing penguinsisn't glamorous. The stench ofthe rescue center—a mix ofpenguin droppings and deadfish—made people feel sick. Thescratches and bites of terrifiedbirds covered volunteers' arms.As the Penguin Lady, I'm used tofacing such hazards to care forthe animals I love. What I didn'trealize was how many otherpeople care for penguins too.

—Dyan deNapoli astold to Natalie Smith

Keeping WarmWhich material offers better protectionfrom the cold—blubber or cotton?

Observe: Penguins, seals, andother animals that live near eitherthe North or South Poles oftenhave a layer of fat called blubber.

Ask a Research Question:What role does blubber play inhelping polar animals survive?How does it compare with othercommon materials we use tokeep warm, like cotton clothes?

Form a Hypothesis: Whichmaterial will keep a hand warmerin icy water: blubber or cotton?

Materials: large bowl • coldwater • 10 ice cubes • 4 quart-size plastic bags • cotton balls» A rubber bands • measuringcups • 1 cup vegetableshortening (like Crisco) • watchor stopwatch

Procedure:1. Divide into groups of two.

2. Fill a large bowl halfway withcold water. Add the ice cubes.

3. Fill a bag halfway with cottonballs. Place your left handinside. Wrap a rubber bandaround your wrist to secure thebag to your hand.

4. Have yourpartner scoop 1/2cup of shorteninginto a new bag.This is "blubber."

5. Place yourright hand insidethe bag. Yourpartner will helpyou secure thebag with arubber band.

6. Wiggle your right hand untilit is surrounded by blubber.Your partner can help you bysmoothing the blubber so it isevenly distributed.

7. Place both hands intothe bowl of ice water for30 seconds or until one getstoo cold. Remove your handsfrom the water, observinghow each feels.

8. Take off the bags and washyour hands. Switch roles withyour partner and repeat steps 3through 7.

Record Results: Note whichhand got cold faster. Whichwas able to stand the icywater longer?

Conclusions:1. In which bag was your handthe warmest? Did your partnerget the same results? If not,explain how they were different.

2. Based on your observations,which would better protect ananimal in cold temperatures-blubber or cotton?

STEP

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