Hand-reared chicks
larger
photo |
As the spill occurred at the height of the
breeding season many chicks were abandoned. Some 3,000 un-oiled chicks
which were nearly fully grown were taken to the mainland and hand reared
in two or three specialist units. Once they were fully grown they were
taken to Robben Island and released.
It is known from previous experience that these chicks
have good chances of survival and breeding in the future. But
despite all these efforts the vast majority of the thousands of chicks
hatched in 2000 on Robben and Dassen perished as a direct result of the
oil spill. |
All photographs on this
page are copyright Les Underhill
|
