After 63 penguins have been discovered lifeless on Boulders Seaside with a number of bee stings final week, a seabird veterinarian has weighed in, not solely confirming that the penguins died from the bee stings, however that the swarm of bees should have been disturbed.
Veterinarians from the Southern African Basis of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) investigated the reason for demise, revealing that the birds suffered no different wounds or chew marks.
In an interview with CapeTalk on 20 September 2021, seabird veterinarian at SANCCOB, Dr David Roberts says the swarm of bees that attacked the penguins should have been disturbed. Despite the fact that the Cape Honeybees accountable are a part of the native ecosystem, he maintains that that is an especially uncommon incidence.
‘We anticipate that this was an occasion attributable to bees being disturbed someplace within the neighborhood, possibly a tree was chopped down or any person tried to raid a nest and take honey out of it or one thing else occurred that obtained the bees agitated,’ he informed CapeTalk.
Roberts maintains that although this can be a ‘fluke occasion’, it’s not likely a risk for the long run.
‘We’re not likely afraid that these are going to trigger issues once more. Penguins and bees have each been within the space for a really very long time and bees are a vital a part of the pure ecosystem there,’ Roberts mentioned
Despite the fact that he believes the Boulders Seaside colony won’t be drastically affected, it could have an opposed influence on the endangered species total.
Image: Unsplash
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