News

The National Aquarium of New Zealand Announces Penguin of the Year Award!

Featured Image Credit: National Aquarium of New Zealand

Few animals are able to grab the attention and affection of humans quite like penguins. The National Aquarium of New Zealand is home to some of the best and you can officially give your favorite a chance to steal the spotlight with the Aquarium’s first ever Penguin of the Year Awards. Aptly coined, the Little Penguins are the smallest species in the world standing at only 30 centimeters tall and weighing up to one kilo.

These particular Little Penguins captured hearts worldwide one year ago when the Aquarium introduced its “Naughty or Nice of the month” awards. Winners Timmy and Betty became sensations when their photos were posted on social media. Their profiles along with those of the other penguins who have been featured in this monthly competition are posted on the website beside the voting form. Peruse their characteristics to learn more about what makes each one of them special.

These competitions and their subsequent posts give the National Aquarium of New Zealand a unique opportunity not only to have a little fun, but also spread their conservation message. While the antics of these penguins are entertaining, they are there for a much more important reason. The Penguin Cove and Rehabilitation Centre is their home while they recover from whatever ailment has landed them there.

Whether they were abandoned as chicks, became sick or injured in the wild, are partially sighted or missing flippers due to getting caught in fishing nylon, the staff at the National Aquarium of New Zealand are dedicated to saving their lives. Once strong enough, they are sent back to their natural habitat or to find a permanent home in the comfort of the Aquarium if they never fully recover.

Fortunately, the Aquarium and its staff provide a wonderful home to these beloved penguins. Due to its sea-adjacent location, there is a constant supply of fresh salt water for the penguins’ pools, making them feel right at home. There is no need to use potentially harmful chemicals to recreate the seawater. Their health is also taken care of with a luxurious diet. They dine on three meals a day with platters of herring, mackerel, kahawai, krill or squid.

If these penguins, or the mission of the Aquarium, has made an impact on you, you have the month of October to make it known. The first round of voting has begun and ends on October 10th, narrowing the pool down to two finalists who will be announced on October 12th!

Check out some of the cute candidates below and learn more about each one while casting your vote for your favorite here!

Image Credit: National Aquarium of New Zealand

The second round of voting will take place in the form of a poll on social media platforms so be on a look out for that and be sure to stay tuned for the final announcement for Penguin of the Year to be made on October 31st!

News

Kansas City Zoo Welcomes Bam Bam The Polar Bear

Featured Image: KANSAS CITY ZOO

At the Kansas City Zoo, Berlin the polar bear was a lonely bear for many years. She was the only polar bear at the zoo starting in 2015. Before that, she had a companion named Nikita, but he moved to the North Carolina Zoo for breeding purposes. Berlin and Nikita had lived together for 3 years without producing a baby.

Since Nikita left, Berlin has been basking in her solitude. Although being alone has its perks, she recently got a new roommate. Bam Bam, another female polar bear, moved from the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo to the Kansas City Zoo.

Bam Bam is 30 years old and Berlin in 28. The pair of older bears seem to be getting along well so far. It is always nice to have some extra company.

Bam Bam made the journey in a specialized refrigerated truck. It was only a three hour journey and she made it to the zoo in one piece. She arrived in May. The two polar bears were given a chance to adjust to each other for a month before the public could see Bam Bam and Berlin in their new home together.

The Kansas City Zoo director, Sean Putney, had this to say about the bears, “The population of the polar bears, not only in zoos but in the natural environment, is getting smaller and smaller each year. We try to do as much as we can to promote conservation and help those animals.

We really consider them to be the ambassadors of their species and hopefully, as people come back to the zoo they will not only see the bears but talk about some issues that some of the animals we have here are facing in their natural environments.”

Read more from the source.

Guest Columns

Moody Gardens Welcomes Two New Seals

Featured Image: Kelsey Walling/The Galveston County Daily News / Associated Press

By: Sarah Sharkey

Two young harbor seals were recently welcomed home at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas. Tomato
and Ravioli already seem to be enjoying their new home.

The seals were each rescued on the California coast last year. The Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in
Crescent City cared for the young seals. It was hoped that they could eventually be released, but
eventually rehabilitators decided that these animals could likely never return to the wild. So, they found
the pair a new home in Texas.

Tomato was found after being attacked by a dog. Even with extensive care, he lost sight in this left eye.

Ravioli was found on a beach and taken to the center; she has severe neurologic and balance problems.
She also suffers from seizures. Both seals are one year old, so the pups needed a new place to stay.

The two were taken to Texas in early July after a 2,324 mile journey. The two will call the North Pacific
Exhibit in the Aquarium Pyramid home. At Moody Gardens, the seal be cared for by professional to
ensure their continued comfort and health. If you want to see the two seals, then you should check out
the webcam. You will be able to see the pups anytime, without traveling all the way to Texas.

Read more from the source.

News

Manatees Trapped by Monofilament in Florida Keys

Featured Image Credit: Fox 13 News Staff.
By: Sarah Sharkey

Fishing line that is tossed into the ocean is a huge problem for marine animals everywhere. Although
you may think that a small piece of line could only affect small creatures, that is just not true. Recently,
two manatees were found entangled in fishing line in the Florida Keys.

Both incidents occurred this summer, one in Marathon and one in Key Largo. Both manatees were taken
care of by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Miami Seaquarium and the
Dolphin Research Center. The team worked together to rescue the manatees, disentangle them and
release them back into the ocean quickly.

Luckily, these manatees were spotted quickly and helped immediately. Many other animals are not as
lucky.

FWC is urging people to recycle their monofilament line to prevent future incidents like this one. Their
Facebook page asked people to “please do your part to prevent entanglements such as these from
occurring by recycling all monofilament fishing line into a monofilament recycling bin.” These recycling
bins are set up across the state at many popular fishing sites. Usually, they look like a large white PVC
pipe attached to a post, it will indicate that it is a recycling station. Please put you monofilament in
there, FWC will recycle it for you to prevent future events like this one.

Learn more from the source.

News

Rare Sighting of Beluga Whales

Submitted by Levon Drover, via CBC.CA
By: Sarah Sharkey

Earlier this summer, beluga whales were spotted near Ingonish, Nova Scotia. It was an extremely rare
sighting. In fact, these whales have not been spotted in the area since August of 2015. Although the
whales have not been seen for years, they seemed perfectly at ease in these waters.

The sighting happened on a Zodiac Adventures boat. Dave Sigworth and Mary Barton were on board to
witness the amazing spotting.

Sigworth described his experience, “ We were expecting to see maybe pilot whales or dolphins, but we
never expected to see beluga whales. The word from the captain on the earlier tour was that they had
seen beluga whales, so it certainly put a little buzz in the air among the people.”

The captain of their boat took some time trying to find these elusive whales, but eventually he found
them. Sigworth said, “They weren’t concerned about us at all, they came right up to the Zodiac and we
think they were rubbing on the boat a little bit. I’m not sure if anyone on the boat managed to touch
them, but they were swimming around and under the boat.”

It was definitely a uncommon sighting of the smallest species of whale. Although there are breeding
populations nearby, they rarely occur in this area. It may be a sign that the breeding whales are doing
well.

Read more from the source.

News

National Aquarium Opens New Center

Courtesy of National Aquarium
By: Sarah Sharkey

The National Aquarium opened its Animal Care and Rescue Center earlier this summer. So far, it seems
to be off to a good start.

Joey, a South American yellow-footed tortoise, led the ceremony that opened the new center. The
ribbon was made of zucchini and fabric, so Joey enjoyed his part of the ribbon cutting.

The facilities are over 55,000 square feet of space to house animals. In addition to the large size of the
center, the animals here will have access to world class care around the clock. The space and staff can
accommodate up to 1,500 animals at a time. Each of those animals will be housed in facilities that are
appropriate for their species. From a small fish to a larger seal, all of the animals will be taken care of at
this amazing new facility.

The new center also has a new way for visitors to watch the animals. Instead of just the public habitats
being on display, most of the animals care and welfare work will be available for the public to see on
tours. The tours for the general public will start in January. If you get the chance, then definitely check
out this amazing new facility that will help heal animals.

Read more from the source.

Dolphins

Hong Kong Bridge Construction Negatively Affects Dolphins

VCG Via Getty Images
Sarah Sharkey

The rare pink river dolphins in Hong Kong are struggling to survive as new construction happens
in their home. Huge construction projects, including a $19 billion dollar bridge across the Pearl
River are threatening the ability of these animals to survive.

The bridge is being built across an estuary area that is a vital habitat for these dolphins.
The dolphins are already struggling to live in the area due to a growing population that has led
to pollution and overfishing.

According to Lindsay Porter, researcher at the marine mammal research consultancy SMRU in
Hong Kong, “When you increase that underwater noises, you not only stop dolphins from being
able to forage, we also stop them communicating with each other.”

The dolphins are under severe stress. The stress has been evident through skin lesions and
infections.

The Hong Kong conservation department said that it wants to designate more conservation
area in order to compensate for the building stress. However, some environmentalists have
pointed out that the other efforts to designate conservation area have not resulted in
significant help for the dolphins.

Human growth is a huge factor affecting aquatic animals everywhere. We need to continue to
find ways to improve habitats in order to offset our disturbance.

Read more from the source.