Elmhurst man helps save endangered penguins in South Africa

Elmhurst resident Kurt Heizmann is a man who takes his job to heart. Heizmann, the Shedd Aquarium's assistant supervisor of marine animals and birds of prey, is also one of the Shedd's key crisis responders now in South Africa working to save endangered penguins.

Every year, hundreds of South African penguin chicks find themselves abandoned by their parents. For the fourth time, the Shedd Aquarium has teamed up with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds or SANCCOB, a nonprofit that works to reverse the decline of seabird populations through the rescue, rehabilitation and release of ill, injured, abandoned and oiled seabirds. Heizmann is one of three members of the Shedd's Animal Response Team to South Africa working with SANCCOB's team of experts and volunteers to care for the endangered penguin chicks.

Throughout December and January, Shedd, SANCCOB and six other accredited zoos and aquariums will work together to admit, treat and release penguin chicks found stranded along the coast. The strandings are due to the species' feather-changing process known as "molting." When molting, the adult penguins are unable to go into the cold ocean to hunt for fish, so chicks that hatch late in the year are often left behind and face the risk of starvation. Some of the vulnerable penguins also have been affected by illness, oil spills or injuries as a result of human activity.

"We're privileged to work with threatened penguins every day at Shedd and, as a result, we've become experts in their biology and nature, which allows us to appropriately assess and deliver skilled care to each individual chick," Heizmann said. "Conservation is at the core of our mission, so we're grateful for the opportunity to provide a significant impact for these animals."

Rescued chicks are first evaluated by experts and then placed in SANCCOB's Chick Rearing Unit where they are kept in temperature-controlled habitats and fed multiple times each day to ensure they are receiving proper nutrition. Abandoned eggs also are taken in from the wild and determined if they are viable upon arrival. For several weeks, the animals continue to go through regular checkups with experts until they reach fledging age, which is approximately 3 months old. If deemed healthy enough, they are released back to the wild into an established penguin colony with a microchip to allow for continued health monitoring.

Almost 500 abandoned African penguin chicks have been admitted to SANCCOB this year, marking the beginning of the high season, which runs from October through January. The penguins have been classified as endangered since 2010, and it is estimated that less than 25,000 breeding pairs of the species remain in the wild. Since the inception of SANCCOB's Chick Bolstering Project in 2006, the groups and its partner organizations have successfully hand-reared and released more than 4,000 chicks.

"This time of year always brings an influx of abandoned chicks to SANCCOB," said Stephen van der Spuy, executive director at SANCCOB. "With hundreds of penguins needing assistance to survive, we're thrilled to have Shedd Aquarium's Animal Response Team on-site to aid in the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these endangered animals."

For more than 50 years, Shedd Aquarium has worked with partners around the globe to help animals in need. The Animal Response Team was launched in October as a way to reaffirm the Shedd's commitment to helping conserve and protect wildlife. While caring for animals affected by human activity such as overfishing, habitat degradation, plastic pollution and rising ocean temperatures, the team seeks to increase public engagement and advocacy along with inspiring other individuals to make a difference.

Heizmann plays a key role on the team. He arrived in South Africa on Dec. 2 and will stay until Jan. 31 working to save the young penguins. It's not the first time he has participated in animal rescues.

Earlier this year, Heizmann worked with the Channel Island Marine and Wildlife Institute to provide aid to the rising number of sea lion pup strandings in Southern California. He and other Shedd experts worked with CIMWI to rescue and care for more than 40 emaciated animals, culminating with the release of four rehabilitated sea lions. Significantly warmer temperatures from El Nino are sending prey fishes father offshore, leaving sea lion pups with less to eat and causing starvation deaths of thousands of sea lions and seals.

Heizmann has rehabilitated Shedd's California sea lions, including Cruz, a blind sea lion, as well as harbor seals and elephant seals throughout his career so he was able to contribute immediately to his work with CIMWI. On the California coast, he prepared food, performed checkups and intake exams on patients, and fed the animals.

He started at Shedd as an intern in 2008, and graduated from Augustana College with a degree in biology and mathematics.

To support Shedd Aquarium's Animal Response Team and its mission to rescue, rehabilitate, release and rehome animals in need, visit sheddaquarium.org. You can also follow the conversation on social media via the hashtag, #ActWithShedd.