The East London Aquarium is said to be the first in the country to have its African Penguin Colony DNA tested.
The Chief of Marine Services at the Aquarium, Siani Tilney, says the samples will then be Bio-banked and all birds Micro chipped to national legislation criteria.
She says the East London Acquarium was chosen for the introduction of this programme by the National Research Foundation, National Zoological Gardens and Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria.
Tilney says presently there are no other captive facilities that have put this programme in place, making this a world first.
She says the African Penguin is a CITES 1 listed animal, which means it is critically endangered and protected under the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Why is this programme so important?
-Having the animals DNA tested allows for better alignment of the animal with its studbook records (population management) that already exists and contributes to a better diversity of the captive gene pool in the country.
-To have samples Bio-banked means that the genetics of our population are forever preserved in a central, National facility.
-To have them micro chipped means that these birds will be uniquely identifiable. This means that they can be monitored when included in the very large programme where all African Penguins in captivity will eventually be part of the Biodiversity Management plan.
-The programme is actively connecting Aquariums and Zoos to global conservation initiatives.
