Metal Bands May Harm Penguins

Sometimes those tracking devices that scientists use to band animals in the wild can be harmful to the animals' health. At least it appears to be that way when it comes to King Penguins who are often banded to keep track of their migratory and reproductive habits. The theory is that the metal, which is either aluminum or stainless steel, can be a drag on the penguins when they swim, making them work doubly hard. In addition, the metal may be interfering with the birds' reproductive cycles.

These findings, by Yvon Le Maho of the University of Strasbourg in France, were recently reported in the journal Nature. In this study, the researchers followed 100 penguins total for ten years: 50 had bands and 50 did not. Le Maho said the penguins who were banded looked more haggard and older than the non banded penguins. In addition, the survival rate of penguins with metal bands on their flippers was 44% lower than those without. In addition banded penguins are producing fewer chicks.

It is a very interesting observation since these bands were originally believed not to interfere with the penguins' lifestyle or routine. These bands are useful for scientists to track the progress (or lack thereof) of colonies from one mating season to the next and to track the effects of lots of factors on their survival.

It may be that the particular type of flipper bands used on these penguins was more problematic that some others but it seems that the less invasive types of studies, i. e. those that are based upon direct observation of animals in the wild, may be more accurate than those that rely on instruments to generate data.