The Problem With Plastic

Sea turtles spend their lives at sea, only coming onshore to breed yearly or biannually, which is why it was unusual for ORCA Peru to be called about stranded sea turtles. However, when you consider the vast quantities of plastic filling our oceans, it becomes far less surprising.

Plastic is generally made from petroleum and unlike other materials, when in landfills it may never biodegrade. It can however break down in the oceans due to photo-degradation, with UV light rays breaking the molecular bonds and reducing the objects to smaller pieces. With such a large exposure of sunlight in the oceans, plastic items such as bottles or bags can break down in a matter of years, which you may assume is a good thing. However, it is not. Even if the plastics break down into microplastics, they still contain the highly toxic chemicals which end up being ingested by marine life of all kinds. But you shouldn’t be worried just for the sake of the aquatic animals. These toxins end up in fish that is consumed by humans and also chemicals wash up onto beaches giving humans direct contact. Similarly to the aquatic species, we are still unsure of the effects this will have on us in the future.

In 1975 the National Academy of Sciences estimated that around 0.1% of plastic produced a year would end up in the oceans. In 2015, this number more accurately grew to somewhere between 15-40%, meaning that 4-12 million metric tons of plastic washes ashore a year. This problem is much worse though as further scientists have stated that they are unsure of where more than 99% of ocean plastic debris ends up and the quantity is only expected to increase. No one knows the extent of how plastic in the ocean is affecting the full scale of marine life.

As you’ve probably seen or heard, there are several mass accumulations of plastics in the seas with the most well known being the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, also known as the North Pacific Gyre. Plastic can travel in currents and accumulate in gyres, which are areas of slow spiralling water with low winds. There are 5 major ocean gyres in the world, but the North Pacific Gyre is approximately the size of Texas with debris also extending 20 feet under into the water column. SEE Turtles has estimated this plastic island contains 3.5 million tons of trash and could potentially double in size in the next 5 years alone.  Photo: Oceanwatch.us 

The coastal waters of Peru provide a huge foraging area for several sea turtle species – Leatherback turtles, Olive ridleys, Green turtles, Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles. However, the conservation status of marine turtles in this region is not well documented and many details about the species themselves behaviourally or distributionally are still unknown. For this post I’m focusing on the two species the Green (Chelonia mydas) and the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), due to ORCA Peru’s two latest patients – Ryana and Mariana. Both turtles were emitted as sick and blood test samples and X-rays revealed they were suffering from plastic poisoning. Veterinarian and director of ORCA Peru Dr. Carlos Yaipen-Llanos revealed the two turtles had their intestines filled with plastic which had caused a strong inflammation, disorientating them and causing them to become stranded on the shores unable to eat.

These two species are found in tropical and subtropical waters across the world, with regional groups. Both are suffering from the same problems as other marine animals I’ve posted on here before (sea lions and penguins) – pollution, global warming, nutrient shifts and a reduction in fish stocks, however there are many direct human impacts as well. They suffer from being caught as by-catch in the fish and shellfish industries. Their eggs are also collected for consumption or the illegal wildlife trade industry.  Mariana the Hawksbill turtle and her full stages of rehabilitation.

Hawksbill turtles also face the threat of becoming a trinket such as a comb or a pair of sunglasses. Their shell is often referred to as “tortoishell” and although illegal under CITES is still used in these trades. It is for these reasons that in 1982 they were listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and this was only increased to Critically Endangered in 1996, where they still stand today. This species is actually highly important to the complex ocean habitats where they are found, which in the Eastern Pacific subpopulation ranges from the Baja Peninsula in Mexico to the Southern coast of Peru. The Hawksbills can be found on many coral reefs where they feed off of specific sponge species that would otherwise out-compete many coral, plant and invertebrate species, thus maintaining the biodiversity within these threatened environments. Each Hawksbill female will lay a clutch of eggs of around 140 and many of these will never hatch which actually provides important nutrients to the beaches and dunes on where they’re laid. Mariana the Hawksbill was estimated to be only 15 years old, measuring 64cm and weighing 20kgs. They can reach up to 1 metre and weigh 80kg, although the heaviest one ever recorded had reached 127kg (280lbs)!

Green Sea turtles are listed as Endangered by the IUCN and CITES. They were the first sea turtle species to be studied therefore they are arguably the most studied species of sea turtles. Although that isn’t saying much, their foraging habitats are still not understood fully. The name does not derive from the colour of their shell that can be a variety of colours – it refers to a fatty layer found under the shell that is green. Their range is as far north as Alaska and as far south as Chile, migrating long distances to breed and forage. They can grow up to 1.5m (5ft) and weigh up to a colossal 317kg (700lbs) meaning they are one of the larger sea turtle species and Ryana measuring and weighing in at 48cm and 25kg was a mere juvenile, despite being estimated at 25 years old. The species can live to at least 80 years in the wild, giving Ryana hopefully a long future ahead of her if the quantity of plastic in the ocean is reduced!  Ryana the Green sea turtle being assessed and after rehabilitation tagged and released.

Both turtles were treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications and their intestines were pumped in order to rid them of the plastic. After 20 days of rehabilitation from the ORCA staff, interns and volunteers, they had visibly recovered and were released back to the ocean. This was the first time sea turtles in Peru have been rehabilitated and released from plastic poisoning. They were both tagged on their front flippers so if they’re found again they can be monitored.

As a tribute to yesterdays (June 16th) World Sea Turtle Day – deplastify your life! From using as little plastic yourself as possible and not using plastic shopping bags, to pressurising businesses and companies who use unnecessary quantities of plastic, to joining in or starting your own beach cleans there are many ways you can help deplastify yours and others lives as well as your environment. Meanwhile in Peru, ORCA will be continuing their research on sea turtles and rehabilitating any further sea turtles in need. Help the cause by donating at www.orca.org.pe and follow ORCA Peru on social media to get the latest pictures and news of Peru’s vast marine wildlife!  

Interning with ORCA

I signed up to be an intern with ORCA because I was interested in learning much more about ocean conservation and marine mammals. After focusing my dissertation on fish in the Caribbean I was very interested in marine biology and conservation and as seen on volunteerlatinamerica.com this would not only allow that, but also train you theoretically and practically, getting to work up close with marine mammals. I didn’t know too much about what I was going to be doing or get to experience until I arrived at the end of December 2014.

Rescuing a poisoned sea-lion; interacting with a baby before we reunited him with his mother; restraining a very injured 2 year old whilst she received fluids

This was New Years weekend, arguably the busiest of the year in San Bartolo and I was immediately thrown into the deep end. There was one volunteer here from America for 2 weeks and another for the last several days but besides that it was Carlos the director and veterinarian, Connie the coordinator and Elena the education director. Normally theoretical presentations are given to interns when they start to prepare you for the work ahead, but due to how busy it was and the current crisis I got to learn on my feet. We were holding a fundraiser in town, trying to spread a better awareness of the organisation and by selling memorabilia gain funds for the care of the sea-lions. There were 5 sea-lions in rehabilitation when I arrived – Mina, Eva, Mark, Nymeria and Ziggy, all around 1 years old and almost ready to be released. I straight away learnt how to prepare the food and medicines, feed them and clean and prepare their admissions.

General care of somewhat healthy sea-lions is fairly easy to get to grips with, especially as I worked at a stables for many years. It becomes much more complicated when new rescues arrive, especially if they are very sick and/or injured. Most things I was taught about I had no idea I would get to do, from learning how to restrain sea lions, preparing fish mash, tube feeding, preparing fluids, injecting the fluids and injections, treating wounds and learning about what the different medicines and injections do. I actually arrived with an irrational fear of needles and an inability to cope with gore or vomit. This experience cured that, you start automatically putting the sea-lions first and it makes you realise how unimportant your silly fears are when there is such a sick animal in front of you.

I’ve volunteered with several other organisations around the world and although they’ve been amazing experiences and I did learn many things, I’ve felt like I achieved friendships and experience more than actual conservation and left slightly confused about how I can get involved with progressive conservation and not just help fund an international organisation. ORCA was entirely different, it is a Peruvian based non-profit with a small team responsible for so much, with the animals being the full priority, with the money (which was already cheaper than most organisations I’ve been with) going completely towards their care and the future of marine mammals in Peru.

If you want your Spanish to improve you can use it because Carlos and Elena the staff members are fully Peruvian – although Carlos speaks perfect English as well. Members of the public who don’t speak English always want to know more and education is key in conservation. However if you’re not worried about speaking or learning Spanish that’s okay, as long as you’re willing to speak sea-lion! This is a genuine language and different noises are used depending on commands and to exert dominance in certain situations.

You also learn how to help in rescues. These can be quick or take a large amount of planning depending on the initial visual assessment of health and the location of the stranded animal. Different techniques are used but rescue boards are carried by the people approaching the sea-lion, because they don’t recognise humans holding boards but only see the board therefore will not get scared, as well as actually using them to block the animal and to guide them into the kennel for transportation. Boards are also used back at the base to safely manoeuvre the sea-lions and to get them back into their admissions after feeding. It takes practice because the sea lions are clever and can tell if you’re new!

Another amazing opportunity for the intern is the Penguins – they are your responsibility. Getting Poppy the Humboldt better and then getting to release her was a definite highlight, and having Rosie the Galápagos living outside of my room and happily awaiting me and attention was completely unforgettable. The moment she went from being forcefed to eating by herself was incredible, as this meant she fully stood a chance of release. 2 weeks after I left she was healthily released with other penguins.

The work is physically and mentally tough with long hours, and with limited protection against marine mammals in Peru and increasing violence and aggression towards them as the fish stocks are reduced, the work is constant. You have to take on a lot of knowledge quickly and are given a huge amount of responsibility. Currently there are a large number of weanling and juvenile sea-lions needing to be rescued, either due to direct hits from fishermen, acid poisoning or starvation. The acid attacks are extremely hard to come to terms with as their is no cure yet – many were lost whilst I was there but the necropsies revealed our treatment methods had been causing improvements. These necropsies can be difficult to come to terms with at first but they’re extremely important so that we can learn how to cure them and not have to lose anymore. Each loss made me more passionate and when you see individuals recover and get to be released its completely worth it.

When the crisis is not occurring as much, you will have to opportunity to do research, which is also a key apart of ORCA – with monitoring of Dolphins from boats, monitoring the acoustic impacts of Dolphins and looking at various things such as the changing of seasons for the sea-lion breeding season.

Researching the effects of Dolphin consumption at Cerro Azul

You become extremely adaptable because no two days are the same and you have to be prepared for everything. If you’re interested in marine biology, veterinary science, ocean conservation, marine mammalogy or just want to experience something completely different for 2 weeks to many months whilst learning all about this, I would recommend 110% becoming an intern or a volunteer. I stayed for a month and regretted not being able to stay for longer, I will be back! You’ll never be readily given this much responsibility or access to incredible sea-lions and penguins and potentially Dolphins or coastal birds. I’ve conquered my irrational fears, learnt an extortionate amount, but more importantly I was involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of 14 sea lions, with 6 being released during my time, and 2 penguins who both got to be released. I will always be part of the ORCA team now and want to encourage as many people as possible to also gain from this experience and to help the organisation that desperately needs as much as it can get!

If you want to know more, send me a message or email ORCA at orca.peru@gmail.com. And like them on Facebook at ORCA Peru for regular updates!

Man vs. Mammal

As I’ve previously stated, 80% of marine mammal strandings are due to negative human interaction of some sort. Needless to say, the majority of the injuries or attacks are caused by the people who spend most of their time in the marine environment and who see marine mammals as competition – the fishermen. Peruvian waters are normally considered very marketable, with over 50 species caught for commercial purposes and the 2,414km coastline supporting over 40 fishing ports.

The Peruvian fishing industry used to be based mainly on exporting fish meal, which is used as poultry feed. However, in the 1970s overfishing almost led to the complete disappearance of anchovies in the area. The fishing industry also suffers fluctuations similar to the Penguins, depending on the El Niño, where the warming of the currents will decrease the numbers of most fish species and cause the waters to become far less productive. It can be thought of as slightly understandable that the less marine mammals would lead to more fish, however this is not actually the case and the lengths of harm and torture they are putting the animals through is so unjust, people need to be made aware of the crisis and it needs to be stopped. The reason for the decreasing numbers of fish in the waters and smaller catches is due to factors such as climate change, overfishing and an ever growing number of fishermen – the sea-lion and dolphin population is far from growing – they are not the problem. In fact, ORCA are receiving more and more sea-lions, especially juveniles, who are simply suffering from starvation due to the lack of fish.

Sea-lions have learnt to eat fish off the hooks and this is what juveniles in particular tend to do, because they don’t swim out as far or deep as older members. In response to this well adapted behaviour – fishermen are taking these hooks and attacking the sea lions, leaving huge ripped wounds in their sides, on their head or anywhere else the fisherman can get to. Unlike Dolphins who when they struggle become hooked deeper, sea-lions can escape the situation, surviving but left with the gaping wounds. Fishermen are also using the hooks and various objects as a hitting weapon, causing indescribable fractures and breaks. For example, in January we rescued Alice, who had stranded and been so terrified of humans that she had climbed a rock face around 20 feet high. This was completely understandable, she had 4 deep wounds on her back, shoulder and sides, she’d lost several teeth and had a fractured nose, causing puss and blood to be coming out and her face entirely distorted by the swelling around the hit.

Alice’s rescue and fractured nose. Being restrained in order to receive fluids and treatments, the most humane way for her to receive everything she needs to recover

Alice was becoming anaemic due to the wounds and couldn’t properly close her mouth due to the break. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt here it’s that sea-lions are tough animals, far tougher than humans and are able to survive with much worse injuries. But here, Alice was in obvious pain, her whiskers were shaking, she had tears due to the pressure and pain. In order to help her the ORCA team are restraining her 3 times a day, tube feeding her, giving her 1 litre of dextrose and 1 of sodium chloride a day, a full set of injections twice a day, anti-inflammatory cream for her nose and treating her wounds. She is looking better every day, with the inflammation on her nose going down drastically, more colour coming back to her regularly, an obvious increase in strength and health and she can close her mouth. ORCA took her to the vet in Lima where fortunately it revealed the fracture which in time will heal and she will be able to survive in the wild again with a lot more care. Once back at the base she had to have several bone pieces removed that had broken and become lodged in her gums, which should increasingly reduce the pressure and pain in her mouth. It’ll be a while until she’s ready to eat fish again let alone be released, but the ORCA team are giving her everything she needs and allowing her to recover at her own pace. An update 2 weeks later says she is still needing this care but becoming stronger and showing her personality more every day.

It’s not just the fisherman attacking with hooks and blunt hits whilst the sea-lions are in the water, we’ve had many cases of attacks on sea-lions that have stranded – already weak and a much easier target. On Cerro Azul we found a dead baby sea-lion with its head smashed in by humans. Arguably the worst attack I saw had been on Barnacle – who arrived to us completely blind due to a hit to the head. After assessing it was horrifically revealed that his skull had not only been fractured but smashed completely – the fact that he was alive is a show of how hardy sea-lions are, but sadly with this extreme injury there was nothing that could have been done so he had to be put down. This was the right decision because the necropsie revealed that his skull had essentially disappeared – the whole front of his brain was exposed with just tiny fragments lodged in other places.

Fishermen are also becoming more tough with their approaches, with the use of poison. They are putting rat poison into fish they’ve caught and throwing it back in for the marine mammals to consume. ORCA is working on treatment methods to this new crisis, but depending on the level of poison in the individuals systems it means they don’t stand a chance as the poison slowly and painfully burns through their stomach and intestines. The fact that this is not well known or illegal in Peru is awful and people need to be exposed to the horrible truth so no more sea-lions have to suffer or die in this terrible way.

Many Peruvians are generally unaware of these horrible occurrences and are shocked when we tell them what has caused these injuries. By spreading the word and knowledge of what is occurring on and off of the coast, more people will be willing to make a difference and cause a change in attitude and behaviour. ORCA has been interviewed by several media sources about the direct hits and the acid attacks, all in the hopes of a progressive future where education will lead to permanent change and an end to the crisis.

Galápagos vs. Humboldt

3 days before I was due to leave ORCA I was prepping lunch for the sea-lions, whilst Connie and I were discussing all that had happened since I’d been there. She said Emily you’ve essentially gotten everything you could have wanted, besides a Galápagos penguin. Next thing Carlos walks into the room saying we have a problem… There was a young penguin on a nearby beach and it could very well be a Galápagos.

I jumped onto the back of a policeman’s motorcycle with a kennel in hand and headed to the beach where I found a small shivering penguin surrounded by people taking selfies and petting it. I immediately got them away and a crowd gathered, asking all sorts of questions. With my limited spanish I explained why the penguin was here, where I was taking it and what would happen, then loaded this very small penguin into the kennel and took her back as soon as possible. She still had baby fur on parts of her which means she was only around 2 months old, she had probably just left her parents care and was on her first outing and simply got lost, stranding on this beach. After assessing her, the shivering showed to be a symptom of a slight cold so I needed to sit in the sunlight with her and help her warm up. After a while she became much more calm, the shaking stopped and she seemed quite curious about her surroundings.

Rosie is an endangered Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), the most northerly breeding penguin species, which until very recently was only found in the Galápagos Islands, which is why all Internet sources will tell you they are endemic to the islands. However, the penguins appear to have followed the increasingly warm currents and several groups have settled along the Peruvian coastline, including on Isla Asia, where Poppy was released. Therefore the Galápagos, not native here, are more sensitive to a decrease in the temperature and need to be kept much warmer, so for this we built her an outdoor inclosure but kept her in a warm kennel at night. Because she was 1-2 months younger than Poppy she was still young enough to feel more comfortable in a cave environment.

Galápagos penguins have suffered similar threats to the Humboldt; fluctuations in El Niño years, getting caught in illegal fishing nets and the increasing number of fishermen reducing the numbers of shoaling fish. This species has also suffered other threats living primarily on two islands in the Galapagos and the numbers of introduced feline species (Felis catus) reduced numbers by 49%. These feral cats also carry parasites which can be transferred to the penguin. Another issue is the introduction of Mosquitos (Culex quinquefasciatus) in the 1980s, because these penguins are highly susceptible to avian malaria. Arguably the largest worry is that of the growing human population and tourists visiting the islands, therefore if breeding groups are successfully forming off of Peru, it will be very good for the health of the species to expand their range.

Galápagos penguins have a very different pysiology to Humboldts (Spheniscus humboldti), which can be seen clearly from the comparative images below. Galápagos are smaller in general, with adults only reaching up to 49cm compared to the 56-66cms of the Humboldt, making them the second smallest penguin species in the world. But in comparison they have longer legs and very large feet. Humboldts are also much more upright – they stand up straight so to speak where’as Galápagos are more bent over. The beak is another difference, the Galápagos’ beak is longer and slender with pink only on part of the lower beak, whilst adult Humboldts have large pink fleshy areas from their eyes and above and below their beak.

Left: Rosie the Galápagos, right: Poppy the Humboldt

Not only is their physical appearance different but their personalities were almost polar opposite. Poppy was very sensitive to the heat, she only used people for food and didn’t interact much – she would ignore you and if you got too close or touched her she’d give you a confused look and waddle an inch more away from you. Rosie on the other hand accepted me as her mother for now and would chirp at me, want to perch on my legs and enjoyed her head being scratched – she would rest on you whilst you gave her a head massage! She’d also always be looking for food and would try to peck all of you convinced she’d find something. Now you don’t have to worry about the penguin becoming humanised, the second they are reunited with a group of their own kind they become fully penguin again, so if they are more relaxed in captivity with human interaction then it’s better for her whilst she’s here.

At first Rosie wasn’t this comfortable though, she not only didn’t want to eat but didn’t seem interested in it at all so we had to force feed her. The silverside fish used to feed Poppy seemed huge in comparison to skinny young Rosie so they were chopped into thirds. After a day though it suddenly clicked that she could eat this fish and was eating when I held it towards her, wolfing it down in fact. Later that day the fish was only cut into halves and she was having no problems. The next day she had already gained a good amount of weight and had gained a very healthy appetite.

I kept testing her and encouraging her to eat more independently and with every feeding she was getting better. After 2 days I’d gotten her from being force fed 1/3 of a fish, to eating fish whole and often from the water bowl herself with only a little encouragement. Sadly I couldn’t adjust my flight and had to depart at this time. Because Rosie seemed very found of me we had to ensure she would allow to be fed by other people, but this now not-so-little penguin was completely fine with the change, and was now being looked over by her new mother, Liz, an intern for the whole of February. An update 5 days later says she is eating perfectly, doing well in the pool tests, becoming far more mature and almost ready for release, probably within the next week! Another penguin being able to be released and not entering the zoo, pet trade or food markets, good luck to this little penguin, a very important rehabilitation for such an endangered species!

Prison-break Penguin

ORCA received a call from the downtown Lima police station stating that they had a penguin in custody. Her story was that she was found in someone’s house and handed in to the police, where she was kept in a form of penguin prison until the police could figure out what to do with her. Her true background story isn’t known, she may have been caught as a pet or for the meat trade or just an accidental fishing catch, however she was a good weight so she must not have been harmed. If ORCA hadn’t agreed to break her out of prison she would have been sent to a zoo, or if the zoo didn’t have room her, her future would have been very bleak. Her name became Poppy and she arrived on Thursday evening, being put to bed in a high up kennel to resemble the caves that young penguins are raised in.

Poppy the penguin is a roughly 3 month old Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti), found only off the coasts of Peru and Chile. Humboldts keep their young in caves, preferably amongst guano, and both parents take care of the young for 70-90 days, meaning she hadn’t been on her own for very long. Humboldt penguins grow between 56-66cms in height and weigh up to 5kgs. They have a distinctive black horseshoe band on their front and pink from their eye to their beak but because Poppy was a juvenile she hadn’t developed her adult moult yet. This species is highly influenced by the cold, nutrient rich waters of the Humboldt Current flowing from Antarctica, providing a productive area for plankton, krill and thus increasing fish abundance. Their main diet is small fish such as anchovies and sardines which they will swallow whole. The current population of the Humboldt Penguin is estimated to be between 3,300 and 12,000 individuals, with the IUCN listing them as threatened.

The Humboldt penguin used to be highly abundant but was first threatened by the mining of guano deposits for fertilisers, drastically reducing their numbers. Since then the species has seen large population size fluctuations. One natural threat to the species is the effects of El Niño, where the cold, nutrient rich waters are reduced, thus causing a decline in the number of fish species and therefore the penguins. The 1982-83 El Niño reduced the population from approximately 20,000 individuals to only 5,500. Although the numbers steadily rose again the 1997-98 El Niño also caused another decline to only 3,300 Humboldt penguins. Humans still cause an ongoing threat towards the species, with penguins becoming caught in commercial fishing nets, oil pollution, for human consumption, the pet trade or just a decrease in fish due to the increasing numbers of fishermen, leading to starvation. Penguins can lose their body weight very quickly if they don’t eat adequately, therefore we knew Poppy had been eating. Not only does their body weight decline quickly but so does their appetite – leading to the Penguins becoming unable to eat anything, which is a problem with receiving starved penguins in rehabilitation.

ORCA normally receives around 7 penguins a year, most brought to the house directly by people and often their appetites have decreased too much already that they develop other problems and sadly cannot be rehabilitated successfully. Birds are very sensitive and need to be given the upmost care. Another rehabilitation consideration is that penguins harbour diseases and parasites that can be easily transmitted to sea-lions. With 3 sea-lions currently in rehabilitation, we had to ensure everything was completely segregated, meaning separate cleaning tools, separate locations and even different clothes whether you were working with the penguin or the sea-lions.

The sensitivity of penguins became very obvious with Poppy on her first full day. We had constructed an indoor and an outdoor enclosure for her – complete with a paddling pool to keep cool. Penguins thermo-regulate through their feet and therefore need to soak them regularly to cool down. It is currently summer so the temperatures reach 26C most days with a strong sun. After moving her to her outdoor enclosure she fed well then resumed what penguins spend the majority of their day doing – not a lot, generally staying in the same place and only moving to excrete in a new location. There were signs of acid in her excrements, however we concluded it was due to her not feeding the day before and the stress of being in “prison”.

After an hour, she began to overheat very dramatically – signs of this are breathing through the beak, feet going from pale to red and lying down whilst breathing through the mouth. Poppy was displaying all these signs but after placing her standing in the pool she cooled down and resumed her calm disposition. Whilst with us she would tend to overheat very quickly, this may have been a sign of an infection, therefore she was treated with a set of antibiotics to help her if this was the case, or it may just have been that not being around other penguins or in a strange environment she couldn’t behave naturally and cool herself down as normal. When it became too hot she was moved to her indoor enclosure.

At night we moved her into the kennel she’d previously been in. However we then found her displaying the overheating symptoms again, but this time she was not overheating. She looked very stressed which is not normal considering Humboldt penguins spend a large amount of their time in warm and small enclosed dens. We don’t know what had happened in her past encounter with humans therefore we had to conclude it was an anxiety attack – she’d been traumatised in some way. We were sure this was the answer and not an illness because when placed back into her indoor inclosure she was much more calm, so we decided to keep her there overnight. She still looked slightly stressed but exhausted more than anything – this penguin had been through a lot these few days! I’d become very attached to Poppy and took her as my responsibility, so being a worried carer I woke several times throughout the night to go check on her and make sure she was ok. To my delight in my half-awake state she was always standing there completely fine and resting – looking much less stressed the more I checked up on her.

Saturday morning started with a similar routine – this time moving her to the pool every hour just incase, to keep her body at a regular temperature. Because we deemed her healthy but observed her obvious anxiety at various aspects of captivity, we wanted to return her as soon as possible because penguins should not be kept in isolation, especially not for prolonged periods of time. Her appetite was still very good, therefore in the afternoon we took her to the beach to carry out behavioural tests to see if she was ready for release. A large crowd formed but she wasn’t fazed and this became an opportunity for people to be made aware of ORCA and the rehabilitation procedures. Poppy showed signs of really wanting to return to the ocean, she’d try to dive into the rock pool we were examining her in, she ate a fish by herself in the water and was climbing the rocks – meaning she was ready for release. We couldn’t let her go there and then because at South beach at San Bartolo there are many rocks, a strong tide, many people and boats and more importantly, no penguins nearby, so we took her back to the marine mammal centre and organised the transportation for her release the next day.

South of San Bartolo is playa Asia where Isla Asia is located. Here is a large Humboldt penguin colony, where they live in close proximity to Pelicans (Pelecanus thagus) Cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus and Phalacrocorax gaimardi) and the South American Sea-lion (Otaria flavescens). Unlike in other parts of the world where penguins fall prey to sea-lions, here they live and feed in the same areas with no problems. Placed in the penguin backpack and kept on my front we climbed onto the back of the police jet ski and headed out to the island where we incredibly got to see the species of animals we’d been rescuing living in their natural environments. As we got closer to the island, Poppy became more mobile, trying to escape from the bag – she was ready to return to the ocean! She was released in a good location near many others and began to swim around successfully. We watched her swim off, hopefully to go join the others and carry out a very normal and happy life. We have all the belief behind Poppy becoming a successful adult Humboldt penguin!

As for us, we had to dismantle her enclosures and disinfect everything she’d touched to protect our other inhabitants, but only after we got the call that another sea-lion had stranded nearby, therefore we went straight to rescue the next animal in need, a reminder that currently there is a crisis and there will always be another animal that needs ORCA’s help, so hopefully they can all have the positive outcome that Poppy had.

ORCA Peru

ORCA – the organisation for the research and conservation of aquatic animals is a non-profit Peruvian organisation based in San Bartolo, a district 52km South of central Lima. This area within the eastern South Pacific Ocean is one of the most biodiverse marine environments in the world, however it receives very little protection. For over 14 years ORCA have pioneered the way forward in marine conservation in Peru by developing rescue operation protocols, veterinary science treatments, education campaigns and conservation strategies. They are dedicated to the protection of marine species, including: the South American sea-lion (Otaria byronia); Galapagos Fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis); Marine otter (Lontra felina); Bottle-nose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus); Dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus), Long and Short Beaked Common dolphins (Delphinus capensis and Delphinus delphis); Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti); Galápagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) and sea turtles.

The main aim is to create a balanced link between humans and the marine ecosystem along the Peruvian coastline, by promoting ecological values through education, research, public engagement and involvement in Ocean conservation. The founder of the organisation is marine vet Dr. Carlos Yaipen-Llanos who was the first qualified marine vet in the country. Alongside Carlos are marine biologist and coordinator Connie Jones and environmental education director Elena Romero Rojas. Together with any interns or volunteers, this small team is the sole organisation protecting and rescuing marine mammals along the coastline. The base site in San Bartolo is the South Pacific Marine Mammal Centre, which was started on May 24th 2003 with “Oscar”, the first American sea-lion to be rescued, rehabilitated and released in Peru. Since then, ORCA has successfully treated over a hundred cases of gastritis, pneumonia, fractures, septicaemia and kidney failure among many other disorders. ORCA’s veterinary research has led to the discovery of cancer in South American sea-lions, the presence of distemper virus in sea-lion rookeries and the successful treatment of a bottle-nose dolphin with pneumonia.

ORCA is a non-profit organisation, with all money going towards the projects, fish, medicines, research, cleaning equipment and travel costs for rescues. The sea-lions and animals in rehabilitation are always the priority, no matter how expensive certain treatments are they are all given as much as they need. The main income is through international volunteers and interns, of which I am currently one for this month. Not only are you helping run the organisation with your donation, but the responsibility, training and experience given is completely invaluable and you are fully integrated into the team, getting involved in every aspect. The other funds are provided through donations – with sea-lions adopted, memorabilia sold and fundraisers held. On weekends the centre is open to visitors where the public can come and see the rehabilitation for themselves, which is also helping to promote awareness and connect people to these incredible marine mammals.

There is no set plan for the whole day here – feedings and cleanings are carried out at 8am, 2pm and 8pm, taking several hours depending on the number of individuals and the types of treatments needed. During the day there are often a string of calls about stranded animals so rescues are carried out, field data is collected, research is analysed, media events are held, education events and campaigns are given, interns and volunteers are trained, general maintenance and much more.

Rescues require preparation and planning and travelling can take several hours all along the Peruvian coastline, however this travelling is necessary as ORCA is the sole rescuer of stranded marine mammals. The team drops everything in order to rescue and bring them back to the marine mammal centre where their health is assessed and treated accordingly, giving them as much treatment and time as needed. Once their health is better they are paired with others and pool tests are given to assess their natural hunting abilities and increase their competitive nature, skills vital to be released back into the wild. The aim is to get the animals as healthy and ready for release as soon as possible, so they can be released back to where they belong. Before release each individual is tagged so they can be monitored.

Rescuing Isleña, Mark and Mina in the pool and Mina showing the small identification tag

In Peru, human impact is responsible for over 80% of marine mammal strandings. On an “average” year ORCA will release around 15 sea-lions. However, in 2014 alone there were 60 releases, demonstrating a huge crisis for the species. In October the centre managed to rehabilitate 32 sea-lions at one time. In the 2 weeks I’ve been here I’ve been involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of 12 sea-lions and one penguin. These juvenile sea-lions are coming in with direct hits from fishermen hooks, starvation, or the increasingly common tragedy – poisoning from fishermen. These fishermen are putting rat poison into fish and throwing them back into the water for all marine mammals to consume. Sadly there is no fixed cure yet and many individuals have died due to the acid burning through the entire stomach and intestines causing severe gastritis and haemorrhages. Necropsies are carried out on deceased sea lions in order to see the full problem and to learn from them, hopefully saving more in the future. This is important research in order to develop a successful treatment. Afterwards they are buried on a peaceful private beach.

Pirate, Miguella and Isleña – all victims of poisoning, with Pirate also losing her eye in a hook attack

Direct hook impacts have also been a common injury found on the stranded juvenile sea-lions. These are the hooks commonly used to kill Dolphins with. We know that the hook attacks are not accidental because sea-lions in Peru have adapted to eating just the body’s off hooked fish, leaving the head and thus feeding unharmed. They are highly intelligent mammals and therefore these terrible injuries are purposefully from humans themselves. They normally occur on the sea-lions side – the same way Dolphins are hooked, however we have found individuals with wounds on their heads and problems or the complete loss of their eyes due to the attack.

Another tragic human impact is that on Dolphins. In March and April 2012, hundreds of Dolphins washed up on remote beaches along the northern coast of Peru. Hardy Jones, executive director of the dolphin and whale conservation organisation Bluevoice, and Carlos went to a 135km stretch of the coastline repeatedly throughout April and confirmed 747 dolphin deaths, 91% being the long-beaked common dolphin. Necropsies were carried out on the stranded Dolphins and Carlos came to the conclusion that they had died due to acoustic trauma and decompression syndrome. Now this may not seem related to humans, however, seismic testing by oil companies was being carried out in the area at the time. This is one project that ORCA is collecting research and raising awareness on. Another is that of Dolphins killed for meat, where their bodies are hooked and ripped open just for a small part for human consumption, despite the toxic levels of mercury in Dolphins. There are no protection regulations against the killing of Dolphins therefore it is still a common practice in certain areas.

One of the necessary conservation methods is through education campaigns and ORCA gives school and university talks throughout the region, as well as hosting schools at the marine mammal centre itself. Campaigns such as “Deplastify Your Life” are given to help promote sustainable development and the conservation of a healthy marine ecosystem. The team always makes the time to talk to the public during rescues – opening people’s eyes to the negative affects of human impacts and creating a willingness to help and change.

ORCA’s name has considerably grown in recent years and hopefully with the continuing efforts people of Peru will begin to become more connected with their marine environment, leading to sustainable development and less harm of these highly intelligent and evolved marine mammals. Until the health of the species is restored and saved, the ORCA team will continue to pioneer research and veterinary science, run innovative projects and campaigns, rescue and rehabilitate all marine mammals in need and put everything they have into this very worthy cause.

Poppy the Humboldt penguin who was successfully rehabilitated and released