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The Jackass Penguin of South Africa — A threatened species
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Conservation Around the Worm
THE JACKASSPENGUIN OF SOUTH AFRICA - - A THREATENED SPECIES
Since the closure of the Suez Canal nearly five years ago, the greatly increased traffic in the shipping lanes around the Cape of Good Hope has increased the threat of oil pollution to such an extent that it has become an ugly hazard for marine life in general along the South African coast, and for the Jackass Penguin in particular.*
recent victims among these birds towards their hoped-for rehabilitation. J. B. DE V. REITZ, Publicity Officer, S.A. Wildlife Foundation, PO Box 456, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
NEARLY 100 MILLION WILD CREATURES IMPORTED IN 1970 INTO THE UNITED STATES
The United States imported nearly 84,000,000 living fish and about 14,000,000 other animals in 1970, according to a statement by Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton. Thus last year's imports included 83,867,029 fish, 10,767,796 shellfish, 2,109,571 reptiles, 687,901 birds, 572,670 amphibians, and 101,302 mammals. The total of 98,106,269 wildlife imports exceeds the 1969 figure of 78,054,992. The fish importations were mostly of tropical species for home aquaria. The reptiles included large numbers of lizards, snakes, and turtles--of species that are frequently favoured as pets and are often valuable in scientific experiments. Frogs and toads, used primarily in educational research, comprised most of Fig. 1. Oil-polluted South African Jackass Penguins in a the amphibians. Of the mammals, 85,151 were primates pen with voluntary workers who are cleaning and feeding --many of them being rhesus monkeys from souththem. Photo: The Argus, Cape Town. east Asia, which are used in medical research. New York continues as the principal port of entry, followed in importance by Miami, Los Angeles, and Jackass Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) have lately San Francisco. These four ports handled more than become victims of oil pollution to an increasing 90 per cent of the importations of living animals into extent, and an organized programme for conservathe United States in 1970. tion of this threatened species was considered of urgent WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, importance. The SA Wildlife Foundation filled the 1110 Morges, breech to satisfy this need and decided to sponsor a Switzerland. sum of R10,000 towards a three-year research project on the Jackass Penguin. The funds were donated to the South African Pseudopontia paradoxa, A UNIQUE BUTTERFLYOF National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal THE RAIN FOREST OF WEST AND CENTRALAFRICA Birds (SANCCOB), an organization which has its hands full to cope with the task of protecting the The butterfly family Pieridae consists of three submarine birds along the South African coastline. families, two of them containing numerous species Particularly since the Kasimah and Wafra tragedies at and one, t h e Pseudopontiinae, containing only the beginning of 1971, when tons of oil spilled from Pseudopontia paradoxa, a very distinctive butterfly the ruptured hulks of these ships, thousands of seathat is confined to the primary rain-forest of West and birds have been polluted. The main sufferers were cormorants, Cape Gannets, and especially Jackass Central Africa. The adult butterfly is entirely translucent-white, and it is so different in appearance and Penguins. The photograph (Fig. 1) shows a pen of oil-polluted structure from all other butterflies that it was first Jackass Penguins with voluntary workers who have described as a moth. It is rather rare in collections-offered their services to SANCCOB to clean and feed probably because it is confined to primary forest and has apparently been unable to adapt itself to secondary forest, the habitat where most butterfly-collecting in * See our last issue, pp. 311-2.--Ed.
Conservation Around the Worm
THE JACKASSPENGUIN OF SOUTH AFRICA - - A THREATENED SPECIES
Since the closure of the Suez Canal nearly five years ago, the greatly increased traffic in the shipping lanes around the Cape of Good Hope has increased the threat of oil pollution to such an extent that it has become an ugly hazard for marine life in general along the South African coast, and for the Jackass Penguin in particular.*
recent victims among these birds towards their hoped-for rehabilitation. J. B. DE V. REITZ, Publicity Officer, S.A. Wildlife Foundation, PO Box 456, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
NEARLY 100 MILLION WILD CREATURES IMPORTED IN 1970 INTO THE UNITED STATES
The United States imported nearly 84,000,000 living fish and about 14,000,000 other animals in 1970, according to a statement by Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton. Thus last year's imports included 83,867,029 fish, 10,767,796 shellfish, 2,109,571 reptiles, 687,901 birds, 572,670 amphibians, and 101,302 mammals. The total of 98,106,269 wildlife imports exceeds the 1969 figure of 78,054,992. The fish importations were mostly of tropical species for home aquaria. The reptiles included large numbers of lizards, snakes, and turtles--of species that are frequently favoured as pets and are often valuable in scientific experiments. Frogs and toads, used primarily in educational research, comprised most of Fig. 1. Oil-polluted South African Jackass Penguins in a the amphibians. Of the mammals, 85,151 were primates pen with voluntary workers who are cleaning and feeding --many of them being rhesus monkeys from souththem. Photo: The Argus, Cape Town. east Asia, which are used in medical research. New York continues as the principal port of entry, followed in importance by Miami, Los Angeles, and Jackass Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) have lately San Francisco. These four ports handled more than become victims of oil pollution to an increasing 90 per cent of the importations of living animals into extent, and an organized programme for conservathe United States in 1970. tion of this threatened species was considered of urgent WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, importance. The SA Wildlife Foundation filled the 1110 Morges, breech to satisfy this need and decided to sponsor a Switzerland. sum of R10,000 towards a three-year research project on the Jackass Penguin. The funds were donated to the South African Pseudopontia paradoxa, A UNIQUE BUTTERFLYOF National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal THE RAIN FOREST OF WEST AND CENTRALAFRICA Birds (SANCCOB), an organization which has its hands full to cope with the task of protecting the The butterfly family Pieridae consists of three submarine birds along the South African coastline. families, two of them containing numerous species Particularly since the Kasimah and Wafra tragedies at and one, t h e Pseudopontiinae, containing only the beginning of 1971, when tons of oil spilled from Pseudopontia paradoxa, a very distinctive butterfly the ruptured hulks of these ships, thousands of seathat is confined to the primary rain-forest of West and birds have been polluted. The main sufferers were cormorants, Cape Gannets, and especially Jackass Central Africa. The adult butterfly is entirely translucent-white, and it is so different in appearance and Penguins. The photograph (Fig. 1) shows a pen of oil-polluted structure from all other butterflies that it was first Jackass Penguins with voluntary workers who have described as a moth. It is rather rare in collections-offered their services to SANCCOB to clean and feed probably because it is confined to primary forest and has apparently been unable to adapt itself to secondary forest, the habitat where most butterfly-collecting in * See our last issue, pp. 311-2.--Ed.