• Oil-soaked penguins rescued in South Africa

     

    Schalk Van Zuydam / AP

    An African penguin is washed with a toothbrush by staff at the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) after it was found covered in oil on Robben Island near Cape Town, South Africa, Sept. 5.

    Schalk Van Zuydam / AP

    An African penguin is washed by staff at the SANCCOB.

    Approximately 55 African penguins that were found covered in oil were being cleaned by staff from the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds on Wednesday. The penguins, which were found on Robben Island near Cape Town, South Africa, will be released into the wild after cleaning. The oil leaked from the Turkish stricken bulk carrier Seli One, according to the Associated Press. According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation,

    The Seli One was hit by a storm at Dolphin Beach on Friday, which resulted in a wreckage that leaked the oil. More than a kilometer of the coastline was polluted and the run-off streaks are continuing to spread. The oil is not expected to move further north, but the City of Cape Town has still appealed to the Transport Department to remove the Seli One from the coastline. Continue reading.


    Schalk Van Zuydam / AP

    An African penguin is washed by staff at SANCCOB.

    Schalk Van Zuydam / AP

    An African penguin drys under a warm light after being washed by staff at SANCCOB.

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  • Where do I sign? Zoo animals make paw-print pledge to protect elephants

    Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

    'Tuka' the komodo dragon leaves a paw print on a canvas at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia on June 27, 2012.

    Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

    'Tukta' the female elephant prepares to make her mark.

    Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

    'Mr Munro', a Fiordland penguin, jumps to the side after leaving his prints on a canvas.

    Animals at an Australian zoo created a Hollywood-style Walk of Fame on Wednesday as they signed up to a worthy cause.

    Taronga and Western Plains Zoo announced a new elephant conservation project in Thailand, Getty Images reports, and animals at the zoo made their own pledges by dipping their paws in paint and smudging them on canvas.

    An Australian zoo creates animal prints to kick off the "Make Your Mark" campaign, a new wildlife conservation project. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.

     

  • Penguins and politicians: Baltic leaders have a whale of a time at summit

    Jens Buettner / AFP - Getty Images

    The members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States sit under a model of a whale at the Ozeaneum sea museum as they attend the plenary session of the summit on May 31, 2012 in Stralsund, northeastern Germany.

    Jens Buettner / AFP - Getty Images

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at the summit opening.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel and heads of government from 11 countries on the Baltic Sea met at the Ozeaneum sea museum in Stralsund, northeastern Germany on Thursday for the second day of a regional summit. 

    See more of our favorite pictures of diplomatic wrangling on PhotoBlog.

    Fabian Bimmer / AFP - Getty Images

    From left: Valentina Pivnenko, chairwoman of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, Danish Prime MInister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Iceland's Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, Lithuania's Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and Finland's Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen feed penguins at the Oceaneum during the summit in Stralsund.

    Guido Bergmann / Pool - Bundesregierung via Reuters

    Merkel, Barroso and other leaders visit one of the oldest harbor pubs in Europe after a dinner at the start of their summit in Stralsund, May 30, 2012.

     

  • Satellite-powered census reveals a profusion of penguins

    courtesy DigitalGlobe

    An emperor penguin colony near Halley Bay in Antarctica in an undated satellite image.

    Deborah Zabarenko / Reuters, file

    Counting emperor penguins in their icy Antarctic habitat was not easy until researchers used new technology to map the birds from space.

    Reuters reports — Using satellite mapping with resolution high enough to distinguish ice shadows from penguin poo, an international team has carried out what they say is an unprecedented penguin census from the heavens over the past three years.

    The good news was that the team found the Antarctic emperor penguin population numbered about 595,000, nearly double previous estimates.

    But the bad news was that some colonies have disappeared altogether due to changing weather patterns and the long-term future of the birds is far from assured. Read the full story.

    Martin Passingham / Reuters

    Emperor penguins are seen in Dumont d'Urville, Antarctica, on April 10, 2012.

  • Animals around the world enjoy first signs of winter

    Daniel Zupanc / AFP - Getty Images

    Fu Hu, a panda born at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo plays in the snow in his enclosure on Jan. 17.

    Robin Loznak for msnbc.com

    An American robin leaps from a snowy fence post along a pasture on a farm near Oakland, Ore., on Jan. 16.

    Dean Lewins / EPA

    Adelie penguins making their way towards the fast ice near Mawson's Hut in Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, on Jan. 15.

    Robin Loznak for msnbc.com

    A sheep on a hillside in rural Douglas County near Elkton, Ore., on Jan. 15.

    Johannes Eisele / AFP - Getty Images

    Gulls sit on a partially frozen lake in in Berlin on Jan.15.

    Jim Schulz / AP

    A pair of Mexican gray wolves enjoy the snow around their outdoor habitat at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago on Jan. 12.

    Darren Staples / Reuters

    Horses rear on a frosted field in England on Jan. 16.

    Jim Schulz / AP

    Sarani, a 1 year old female snow leopard, enjoys the snow around her outdoor habitat at the Brookfield Zoo, in Chicago on Jan. 12.

    Ilya Naymushin / Reuters

    Khan, a 2 year old male rare Bengali white tiger, licks snow inside an open-air cage at the Royev Ruchey zoo in Russia on Jan. 11.

     

  • Penguin rescued from oil-polluted waters near New Zealand shipwreck

    Natacha Pisarenko / AP

    A rescue worker dries a little blue penguin after it swam in a water pool to wash fuel oil from its body at the wildlife facility in Tauranga, New Zealand, on Oct. 14. The penguin was rescued from waters polluted by oil leaking from the container ship Rena, which ran aground on Oct. 5.

    Bradley Ambrose / AFP - Getty Images

    An oil-coated pair of disgarded gloves lie on grass in Tauranga on Oct. 14.

    Read the latest news from Tauranga, where the calmest weather in days has given salvage crews hope they will be able to resume pumping the remaining fuel from the stricken Rena.

    See more images of the disaster on PhotoBlog.

  • Ross Setford / NZPA via AP

    An Emperor penguin which came ashore at Pekapeka beach is treated by veterinary staff at a zoo in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 24. Fears over the health of the young Emperor penguin have prompted officials to move it to the local zoo.

    Stranded penguin moved to New Zealand zoo

    The AP reports from WELLINGTON, New Zealand:

    Fears over the health of a young Emperor penguin stranded on a New Zealand beach have prompted officials to move it to a local zoo.

    The penguin's rare 2,000-mile journey from Antarctica has captured the imagination of many here in the South Pacific and around the world. But veterinarians and conservation officials became concerned enough about the bird that they stepped in Friday. Continue reading.

    See a previous PhotoBlog post about the adventurous penguin.

  • Customized wetsuit helps balding penguin fit in with feathered friends

    Roslan Rahman / AFP - Getty Images

    A featherless Humboldt penguin (2nd right) in a wetsuit walks past king penguins in the enclosure at the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore on April 4. The 10-year-old penguin has been experiencing continued feather loss since 2010 and is being treated with customised wetsuits. The suit acts like a natural feather covering, providing warmth and insulation which also helps new feathers grow and prevents moulting.

    Roslan Rahman / AFP - Getty Images

    Angelin, an avian management officer, puts a wetsuit on a featherless Humboldt penguin at the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore on April 4.

    Roslan Rahman / AFP - Getty Images

    A featherless Humboldt penguin in a wetsuit goes for a swim in the enclosure at the Jurong Bird Park on April 4.

     See more great animal images in our Animal Tracks slideshow.

  • Humboldt penguin Tomas returned to wild by lifeguards

    By Rich Shulman

    The Today Show had a cute video (at the bottom of this post) this morning of a Humbold penguin that was adopted by local police in Lima, Peru. Late today, Reuters moved images of the penguin being transported to a sanctuary by lifeguards.

    Mariana Bazo / Reuters

    A lifeguard releases Tomas, a lost Humboldt penguin, near a penguin colony on San Lorenzo Island Jan. 26. Tomas was rescued by lifeguards on Sunday after losing his way and landing at the beach of Agua Dulce in the Lima district of Chorrillos. Humboldt penguins, poached for meat and sought after as household pets, are considered an endangered species according the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture.

    Mariana Bazo / Reuters

    Tomas, a lost Humboldt penguin, stands in a boat, which will be used to transfer him to a penguin colony on San Lorenzo Island Jan. 26

    Mariana Bazo / Reuters

    A lifeguard holds Tomas, a lost Humboldt penguin, before he is transferred by boat to a penguin colony on San Lorenzo Island Jan. 26

    A little Humboldt penguin turned up in Lima, Peru, after wandering miles away from his beach home. And, as TODAY's Ann Curry reports, a local police squad adopted the creature and made it their mascot.

  • Mike Aguilerra/Sea World via Getty Images

    An emperor penguin hatched at SeaWorld stands next to stuffed toys in San Diego, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 4. The 3-week-old, 2-pound chick hatched in mid-September and is being raised by the SeaWorld's aviculturists in a behind-the-scenes nursery. This marks the 21st emperor penguin to hatch at the park since 1980. SeaWorld San Diego pronounces itself as world-renowned for its successful penguin breeding program. They report they have raised more than 500 penguin chicks representing eight species in the last 30 years. The chick is expected to go on public display in about four months.

    Cutest. Thing. Ever.

    By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com

    I'm not much of a softie for cute animal photos, but this was irresistable.

  • Brett Phibbs / New Zealand Herald via AP

    Annwyne Stanish walks "Hop Along," a little blue penguin, along Rothesay Bay beach, near Auckland, New Zealand. The penguin was washed up on Muriwai Beach suffering from head and leg injuries and was nursed back to health by bird rescue volunteers Sylvia Durrant and Annwyne Stanish

    A helping hand

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