Thanks to Que and the SANCCOB team, an African Penguin chick has another shot at surviving.
Cape Town, South Africa (06 October 2025) – When a fluffy African Penguin chick presented as weak and anaemic, the team at SANCCOB in Cape Town did what they do best, and saved a seabird!
In this story, in particular, it was actually one of their own ‘home pen’ birds, Que, who was the hero. This brave penguin became a blood donor and was able to give a very fragile chick a second chance at life, SANCCOB shares.
A transfusion may sound like something reserved just for people, but it’s not. Penguins can become anaemic too. Just like humans, their red blood cell count can dip for a number of reasons. It could be anything from parasitic infestations and infections, blood parasites, or nutritional deficiencies to stress or even dehydration.
For a chick, already vulnerable and building up strength for survival, anaemia can be deadly. That’s why Que’s blood donation was vital. That, along with efforts from the amazing team at SANCCOB who facilitated the blood transfusion, earned a fluffy little penguin a second chance at life.
Stories like this are exactly why SANCCOB’s work is so important. For more than 50 years, this non-profit has been at the frontline of seabird conservation, rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing ill, injured, or abandoned birds back into the wild.
Their main goal is to reverse the decline of seabird populations, with the critically endangered African Penguin at the focus of their efforts.
They’ve been doing this since the organisation was born out of crisis back in 1968, when a major oil spill left penguins struggling for survival. A woman named Althea Westphal opened her own home to wash and care for the birds, little did she know that SANCCOB would move on to become a leader in seabird rescue in SA.
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