Aquarium staff in therapy after bird massacre

The senseless massacre of almost half the East London aquarium's endangered jackass penguins could be the work of vengeful poachers angry with curator Willie Maritz for testifying in court cases.

Maritz, a respected marine biologist has, over the past 13 years, often been asked by courts in the Eastern Cape to identify poached marine resources, to the wrath of poachers.

And, as recently as the day before the first penguin killings last Saturday, Maritz gave evidence in a bail application by six alleged poachers.

The next night, three penguins were bludgeoned to death at the aquarium. The following evening, the attackers returned and killed six more penguins, two rehabilitated gannets and two of the aquarium's star attractions, hand-reared pelicans Bessie and Bobo.

While baffled police this week tried to establish a motive for the killings, outraged South Africans donated more than R10 000 as a reward to try to flush out the killers and more money is coming in every day.

Some shocked East Londoners laid wreaths at the penguin enclosure and others demonstrated outside the aquarium. According to Maritz, severely traumatised aquarium staff this week decided to have psychological counselling to try to come to terms with the loss.

"To find some birds beaten to a bloody pulp on Saturday night and even more again on Sunday was extremely traumatic for all the aquarium staff.

"A lot of the birds were hand-reared and nursed back to health by staff, only for them to be maliciously clubbed to death by people who obviously do not have their heads screwed on correctly. It is like losing one of your own family," a devastated Maritz said.

He added the killings could be the work of disgruntled poachers bent on getting some form of revenge for his testifying in court cases.

Renowned Rhodes University clinical and investigative psychologist Marc Welman who compiled a profile of the killers for police this week said "angry poachers wanting revenge is a very plausible scenario".

"Although the killings were malicious, they were also planned and organised by people who came back a second time to heighten the horror. Killing pets or animals is way of getting revenge or intimidating a person."

He said thrill seeking teenagers were his second choice.

The second slaughter on Sunday night may have been averted if East London city police had heeded a request after the first attack for a guard at the aquarium.

In November, municipal security at the aquarium was downgraded and eight guards were transferred to other areas in the city. The single guard left at the building did not turn up for work the night the first attack took place. He also failed to arrive the second night.

Maritz said the fact the attackers did not target the seals showed they were cowards. He also discounted the possibility the birds were killed for food as none was removed.

"The penguin pool and the enclosures are very vulnerable. You always hope and pray people do not have this kind of malicious intent, but if they do it doesn't matter if there's electric fencing or razor wire. If they want to kill the birds, they'll kill them.

"The pelicans, Bessie and Bobo, were real characters and kids loved them. This kind of attack makes you realise how sick some people are."

"We hope and pray that someone will read about the huge reward and spill the beans. All the money donated will be used solely for a reward to try flush out the killers," Maritz said. - @LiveWire