pink and punchy

In honor of that ridiculous fake corporate holiday designed for mass consumption and making the weak-minded feel inadequate, I bring you the following:

Roses are red
Punches are pink.
Beware of my penguins
They'll make you extinct.

our babies!

We have babies! Sweet little babies! Husband of feitpingvin and I have adopted FOUR African penguins from SANCCOB! Wheeee!

OK, we don't actually have them with us (duh), but by contributing to the care and rehabilitation of penguins and other South African coastal birds, these penguins are "ours" :-) Too bad tourists can't go to see the colonies at Robben Island or Dyer Island. It would have been fun to go over there and look for them!

Here are our flightless feathered sweethearts:



Aurora (R-4791)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: juvenile
Date admitted: 9 August 2007
Reason for admission: Oiled
Weight on arrival: 2.38 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 28 Aug 2007
Weight on release: 2.78 kg.
Release site: Robben Island













Pengdora (F401)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: Chick
Date admitted: 28 October 2007
Reason for admission: Abandoned (by moulting parents)
Weight on arrival: 1.76 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 29 November 2007
Weight on release: 2.78 kg.
Release site: Robben Island













Wolfgang (A12572)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: Blue
Date admitted: 3 November 2007
Reason for admission: Abandoned (by moulting parents)
Weight on arrival: 1.86 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 5 December 2007
Weight on release: 2.5 kg.
Release site: Dyer Island














Pingu (F427)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: Chick
Date admitted: 28 October 2007
Reason for admission: Abandoned (by moulting parents)
Weight on arrival: 2.36 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 29 November 2007
Weight on release: 3.04 kg.
Release site: Robben Island

may you have a pink and floozied 2009!

when evil pomelos meet their match

pepperkakepingviner!

I just got done decorating this year's batch of pepperkakepingviner - Norwegian pepperkake cut into a penguin shape. I've been doing this for the past four years. My infamous penguins have sort of become an expectation now...

I haven't taken any photos yet, and I'm really not sure if I will this year (unless I bake and decorate another batch). Circumstances beyond my control and all. I'll try but I can't promise anything. But if you're not familiar with my twisted little Yule tradition, here's a photo from last year:



By the way, have any of you seen Mini Wolfgang's Santa sweater? I can't find it anywhere. I'm sure he found it and burned it, because he found it quite humiliating to wear. Well, if it's not found soon, I have an even more humiliating sweater for him...

I'm going on holiday to King George Island!

I can't wait to see these little miracles of evolution in real life!

an illegal immigrant in Peru...

A confused Magellanic penguin has somehow managed to travel from his native Chile to Peru. Nobody knows how he got there, or why - perhaps to seek asylum?

Well, like other strangers and asylum seekers, it is unlikely he will be given the warm welcome by the local Humboldt penguins, who "usually seek out their own species."

He'll probably get deported back to Chile...

poor Elvis...

This was depressing :-(

Heartbreak Hotel as king penguin Elvis can't leave building

ELVIS is alive and well, but marine authorities say he can't go home.

The fellow is in a rehab centre on a windy headland in Cape St Francis and, every now and then, he throws back his head and croons his rather haunting song.

Elvis is a king penguin that washed ashore near Cape St Francis in January, many thousands of kilometres away from his home on one of the sub-Antarctic islands.

No one knows how he got here, but when Trudi Malan of the Ajubatus Marine Rehabilitation Centre in St Francis was alerted, she and a local nature conservator rescued the creature.

"I can't believe how well he's looking now. He is beautiful. My wish is to release him back home, possibly to Marion Island, but the scientists say we can't because of the risk that he will carry back diseases.

"I understand that from a scientific point they can't take that risk. But for us, it's a very emotional thing. Kings are very gregarious penguins, they breed shoulder to shoulder and they like to be with their friends," said Malan.

"And every time he calls, ah, I just want to die. He throws it back and makes this sound. It's beautiful but it's so sad."

She had hoped the penguin could hitch a ride on the Department of Environment's ship that took research teams to Marion Island, a habitat of king penguins.

Rob Crawford, an ornithologist with Marine and Coastal Management, confirmed yesterday that this was not permitted in terms of the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research.

"Any species that has been in captivity may not be released back into the Antarctic or sub-Antarctic Islands, because there is always a chance of introducing disease.

"It could be disastrous if that happened," Crawford said.

Asked if the penguin could be released off the Eastern Cape coast and left to take its chances, Crawford said he was not sure it would survive in the warm Agulhas current.

"My personal opinion is that it would be best if it could be with another captive population," Crawford said.

Malan said the Edinburgh and Zurich zoos were interested in taking on Elvis.

"The Zurich Zoo has a world specialist on king penguins. He says they've got to be with friends or they fall into depression. They have about 20 but they really wanted a female.

"The Edinburgh Zoo was interested but they can't take him because of the bird flu ban," she said

Two Oceans Aquarium is also interested in taking him for their Antarctic and Islands display, yet to be built.

"I've tried everything. Sometimes I feel if I ever found another one, I would quietly euthanise him," Malan said.