Weighing a penguin without first catching it has proved a problem for the
British Antarctic Survey. But last week a new automated weighbridge was tested
on captive Macaroni penguins at Banham Zoo, Norfolk, allowing scientists to
learn how much chicks are eating without disturbing the colony. The device is
destined for South Georgia, where it will allow one Macaroni in or out of a
colony at a time, either going to the sea or returning. Kate Barlow of the BAS
says the device makes the animals pause briefly for weighing by forcing them to
jump on and off a platform. Numbers of the penguins have halved since 1976.
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