Tick that box: penguin parasites pose no potential problems

The first comprehensive study on African penguin parasites has just been completed, and the results raised no red flags - for now.

Marcela Espinaze of Stellenbosch University spent four years studying the ticks, fleas and internal parasites that live off SA’s flippered friends to learn how they might affect penguin colonies.

But the types and levels of parasites recorded were of no surprise, as they were consistent with the common pests associated with African penguins, according to the 36-year-old Chilean veterinarian.

This did not mean these pests were scarce. “I found ticks and fleas on most of the birds and their nests,” said Espinaze, who visited mainland colonies in Simon’s Town and Stony Point as well as Robben, Dassen and Dyer islands.

She pulled fleas and ticks off 793 penguins - 210 adults and 583 chicks - while also examining the parasite content of 628 nests. 

Chicks were more infested than adults. “This might have to do with the fact that they have a weaker immune system than adults,” said Espinaze.

“Chicks in particular are more vulnerable to parasites during warmer months, because they are so nest bound and not able to remove parasites themselves through preening.”

She said the fleas, ticks and parasites she found are typical parts of nature, and on the surface her findings aren’t worrisome for the greater health of the penguin population.

“If birds are healthy enough and environmental conditions are normal, then the birds are quite able to keep the number of parasites found on them in check through their usual preening.”

But other environmental factors were at play that could make the parasite situation worse.

“When nature is out of sync, as is being experienced now because of dwindling fish sources, pollution and also climate change, the birds could become more stressed and less likely to resist parasites,” she said. 

These factors would certainly hurt a population that has already dwindled incredibly in the past century. The African penguin population is estimated at around 25,000 breeding pairs, down from millions in 1900. The species is considered endangered.

Espinaze's doctoral research, which has been published in the journal Parasitology, was the first thorough survey on external and internal parasites of African penguins in multiple colonies. The only other such study on wild penguins was done in the 1980s on a single colony in Saldanha Bay.