Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 06:44
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Oden Antarctic Expedition 08

We are very excited to be in on the webinar today.  These questions were generated by Mrs. Harrington's and Mrs. Angotti's classes at Morgan Road Elementary.

 

If a penguin was sick or injured, would you be able to help them?

 

Would you explain the process you will use to capture and test seals? 

 

The penguin video was Awesome!!!!!!! 

Mon, 12/15/2008 - 17:35

Jeff Peneston

Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed today’s Webinar!The magic of the wildlife here in Antarctica is that they are unaffected by and not afraid of people.  The rules of the US Antarctic Program insist on keeping it that way.  We cannot touch or affect any of the wildlife without a permit.  Therefore, if a penguin is sick or injured, it is part of nature.  And, the truth is that nothing in the ocean is wasted.  A sick penguin will become part of the natural food and energy web here.  Leopard seals must feed their babies too!
However, in the case of the seal research team, they have a special permit to collect data about the health of the seals because:1.   They are real scientists who will publish their findings to benefit the seals.2.    They are experienced with handling seals in ways that will cause no harm to the animals and their procedure is limited to holding the seals for only a few minutes and then releasing them.
The team walks up to a crabeater seal that is resting on the sea ice (where it is not afraid of anything) and they put a net over the seal.  The seal is then held down to the ice for a few minutes while the scientists use a needle to collect a little blood sample.  They also collect a little mucus from the seal’s nose and a little hair.  The scientists even use a comb to collect lice from the seal’s fur.  All of these things will help the team understand the disease problems that the seals may be having.  
I am glad you liked the penguin video!
Making memories in the ice,
Jeff Peneston