Lile Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor) Picture of bird Full life history info: h@p://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/li@le-penguin Introduc>on Ecology and life history The Li@le Blue Penguin (also known as li@le penguin, Normal adult weight range: Male 925-1650g blue penguin, fairy penguin, or kororā) is the smallest Female 765-1250g of all the penguin species in the world. They are found Moult: Synchronous moult i.e. moults all feathers at the on the main islands and coastal islands of New Zealand same ,me. In January-March for a 2 week duraon. and along the southern Australian coastline. Recent During this period LBPs stay in the burrow and do not go gene,c analysis strongly suggests that the NZ and swimming to forage for food. They can loose up to 50% of Australian li@le penguins are two separate species. body weight during this period. Although they are the most common penguins in their Breeding: July to February. range, the populaon is declining due to several Monogamous. threatening processes including introduced predators Egg laying between Jul to Nov. (dogs and cats, ferrets in NZ and foxes in Australia), Incubaon 30-39 days. human disturbance or destruc,on of nes,ng habitat Age at fledging 54-56 days. and decreased food supplies through overfishing. Age at first breeding 2-3 years. LBPs are a robust and resilient species that copes well Lifespan: up to 25 years. in the rehabilitaon environment, making them the Diet: Piscivorous ideal candidate for wash, rehabilitaon and release Conserva>on status (NZ Threat Classifica>on): Declining during an oil spill. Personal protecve equipment (PPE): Appropriate PPE must be worn when capturing and handling oiled wildlife to prevent exposure to oil (disposable nitrile gloves, safety glasses/goggles, protec,on for clothing e.g. Tyvec suit). Old towels or blue incon,nence pads are useful to handle oiled birds as they can be discarded once soiled. Capture Handling Consider the safety of both humans and Wear normal examinaon gloves if not oiled to birds. prevent feather damage. Wrap the body in a LBPs can be caught in a net or by hand towel to restrain the flippers and prevent feather with or without a towel. Long-handled damage. Cover the head with the towel to fishing nets are useful for capture if the reduce stress. bird is in the water. If the bird is on land Penguin bills are sharp and easily cut through then ensure that someone is standing skin. Restrain the head by holding the back of the between the bird and the water to head in the palm of one hand and gripping the prevent them from entering it. bo@om of the jaws with thumb and fingers. Transport to WARNING – NEVER place your eyes close to holes in transport boxes. facility Herons, gannets & shags will lunge at eyes causing serious injury or blindness. Transport box: made of plas,c, NOT wood or cardboard, as oil contaminaon can be cleaned and box reused. Best op,on is a Corflute box (pictured). Available from A&E Karsten LTD (ph +64 9 266 2781, [email protected]) Size: Large = 240(W) x 420(L) x 315(H) mm. Alternave op,on is a plas,c PetPak. Only ONE bird per box. Flooring: Correct flooring in the transport box is important. It should (i) be soe and non-abrasive in order to prevent development of bumblefoot during transport, (ii) be non-slip so that the bird can steady itself and (iii) prevent build up of faecal maer that can cause urate burns. Blue-tube rubber mang covered with blue incon,nence pads or a suspended neng floor are the best op,ons. Folded newspaper is inappropriate as it becomes too slippery when contaminated by faeces. Shredded paper, straw, hay and seagrass should be avoided as it increases the risk of Aspergillosis Vehicle transport: van or ute, with canopy and a separate air space from people to prevent inhalaon of oil fumes. Ideally temperature controlled (heang on cold days, cooling on hot days). Lile Blue Penguin HUSBANDRY REQUIREMENTS Housing Keep indoors and temperature controlled at 25-27°C because oiled animals cannot thermoregulate. pre-cleaning Enclosure (oiled) Plas,c, vented bulk bins or box pallets are ideal for easy cleaning (available from www.plas,c.co.nz and other plas,c packaging companies) Can keep mul,ple birds in one crate, but do not overcrowd. Stainless steel or plas,c hospital cages can be used as an alternave, but keep only one bird per cage. Flooring Best op,on is fine (0.5cm) non-kno@ed co@on neng using PVC pipe as a frame and suspended at least 15cm from the cage floor. Alternave is blue tubing (available at hardware stores). These flooring types prevent uric acid and faecal buildup which can cause feather damage and bumblefoot. If using steel or plas,c hospital cages then mul,ple layers of towels can be used on top of blue mang, but soiled towels must be changed regularly. Covering Mesh or shade cloth on top of bulk bins/box pallets and secured with clips or weights. Cover the front of hospital cages with a towel to reduce stress. Housing Enclosure post-cleaning Outdoor aviary with shade cloth covering the roof and walls. Can house mul,ple birds together. (NOT oiled) Flooring: Blue tube mang on floor to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup and bumblefoot. NOTE: grey tube flooring is harder than the blue version which increases risk of bumblefoot. Burrows Hides made of plas,c - upturned plas,c box with semi-circle cut out. Protect the sharp edge of doorway with a hose-pipe split lengthways and taped in place. Provide one hide per bird. Pool Penguins in the rehabilitaon phase need access to water in their enclosure to aid waterproofing. • Suitable pool types: built-in, large plas,c containers or children’s swimming pool or shell. • Non-slip ramps to allow easy access and exit of water. • Minimum water depth for LBPs is 30cm. • Preferably use seawater, but freshwater can be used. If using freshwater then provide birds with a salt supplement in order to maintain salt glands (see “Supplements” sec,on). • Heat water during winter months if ambient air temperature is below ~10-15°C. • Con,nuous flow of water is required to prevent buildup of fish oil and faeces on the surface of the water which inhibits the waterproofing process. This is most easily achieved by placing a hose above the pool allowing the running water to break the surface of the pool water and leng it overflow. Good drainage around the pool is required. • Surface skimmer is useful for removing oil, food and faeces floang on the surface. Transport As per handling instruc,ons. within facility If oiled, then wear appropriate PPE and encase in disposable material such blue incon,nence pads. If clean, then encased in large towel. Wear gloves to prevent feather damage. Cover head to reduce visual s,muli and stress. Iden,ficaon Leg band or flipper band (temporary iden,ficaon to be removed before release) Lile Blue Penguin NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS and FLUIDS At admission Triage assessment: physical examinaon by trained personnel (preferably a veterinarian) Record cloacal temperature. Give fluids at ini#al stabilisa#on rates below. Dosing If large numbers of birds require dosing then calculate dose based on the weight of the heaviest bird. Group animals into similar age and/or size class for dosing calculaons. Fluid rate Ini,al stabilisaon: 75-80ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Once hydrated: 50-60ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Fluid type For long term maintenance use either isotonic saline (0.9%) or Vytrate®/Lectade® Amount Feed 10% of body weight (BW) TWICE a day. (i.e. 20% of body weight total each day). Food type If weak, emaciated, severely dehydrated or unable to hold head up: Only give oral electrolyte fluids at ini#al stabilisa#on rate for 24 hours to rehydrate gut. use either: Equal parts (50:50) Hartmann’s solu,on and 2.5% dextrose in 0.45% saline 5% dextrose in 0.9% saline or Vytrate®/Lectade® Once gut is hydrated, then start with small amounts of fish slurry and change to isotonic fluids. If able to take solids: human grade small whole salmon. Food Fish slurry: Place human grade salmon in heavy duty blender and blend. Add just enough isotonic preparaon (0.9% NaCl) fluid to blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve slurry using a metal sieve to remove any chunks that may clog the feeding tube. Discard aer 24 in the refrigerator. Whole fish: Ideally defrost covered in refrigerator to retain nutri,onal quality. However, if large amounts of food are required then fish can be defrosted under cold running water immediately before feeding so long as vitamin supplements are given. To cut large whole salmon into pieces, cut on an angle as pictured. Supplements ① Mazuri seabird vitamins: 1 tablet per 225g fish. (Available at Carlyle Vet Clinic, Napier 06 835 1096). ② Itraconazole (Sporonox): 5mg/kg BW PO once daily via soe crop tube to prevent Aspergillosis. ③ Salt (sodium chloride) to recondi,on salt gland: Only required if birds have been housed long- term in freshwater. Start at least 2 week before release. Give orally either as 3% saline solu,on at maintenance fluid rates or 100mg/kg BW PO once daily. Gradually increase dose over four days: Day 1 give ¼ dose, Day 2 give ½ dose, Day give ¾ dose, Day 4 give full dose, then con,nue at full dose.