People are being invited to join the fun this weekend and take part in a 15km “waddle” to help African Penguin – Not-On-Our-Watch raise awareness.
South Africa (21 April 2023) – World Penguin Day is on the 25th of April 2023 but it is being celebrated a little early this year, with a fun “waddle” taking place this weekend. The fun event is being hosted to raise awareness about the very serious plight of the African Penguin. This is everything you need to know about the campaign.
There are many people and organisations dedicated to the survival of the African Penguin. Their incredible commitment and hard work must be commended, and we are grateful for their dedication. However, saving a species needs action on the ground, the support of people and enabling legislation. To date, there has not been a public action campaign for the African penguin.
This is where #NOOW comes in. The goal is to create a movement and raise awareness about the need for urgent action to reverse the decline of the African penguin population in the wild. Through this campaign, the team at African Penguin – Not-On-Our-Watch (NOOW) will call for support to ensure that wise decisions concerning the future of the African penguin are made by the relevant authorities.
“We will create a movement to build pride in African penguins as a part of South Africa’s unique biodiversity and we will assist penguin colony managers by ensuring that visitors to the colonies behave in a way that supports penguin wellbeing.”
The African Penguin
The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is the only species of penguin found on the African continent. It is endemic to the southern African coastline, found from Namibia to the Eastern Cape in South Africa. This beloved bird is known for its black and white plumage, black spots on their chests and their characteristic “bray” resembling the sound of a donkey. In fact, many people still know the bird by its old name – the Jackass penguin. Penguins are sentinels of ecosystem health and play an important role in the functioning of marine ecosystems. African penguin colonies provide an indication of the status of other marine top predators that target the same prey (sardines and anchovies) and are thus important indicators of the status of pelagic marine ecosystems.
The African penguin is a valuable part of South Africa’s natural heritage. They are the only species of penguin found in Africa and are arguably one of the most accessible penguin species in the world. The mainland African penguin colonies at Boulders Beach and Betty’s Bay are an important drawcard for eco-tourism in South Africa.
But all is not good news for the African Penguin
At the beginning of the 20th century, it is estimated there were between 1.5 and 3 million individual African penguins across the species’ range along the Namibian and South African coast. It is estimated that there were close to 1 million pairs on the West Coast’s Dassen Island alone. However, by the mid-1950s, only about 300 000 pairs were left due to egg harvesting and guano removal for fertilizer. Very worryingly, since 1979, when the first full count of the major South African colonies was conducted, the current breeding population has declined from ~55 200 pairs to a mere ~10 000 breeding pairs in 2021. To put this in perspective, if every wild breeding penguin in South Africa had a seat in the Ellis Park Stadium in Gauteng, South Africa, the stadium would only be one-third full!
Today the current African penguin population is only about 10 000 breeding pairs in South Africa and 4 000 breeding pairs in Namibia, the lowest numbers ever recorded. With such a small number of individual birds in the wild and with the current decline, the population will be functionally extinct by 2035. This means that the population will be so small that they will no longer be able to produce enough offspring to increase their numbers again.
The species has been classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2013. The time for action is NOW. If we wait any longer, it will be too late. We need healthy oceans to support marine life now and into the future, especially if we want our children to see African penguins in the wild.
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It’s not just about the African Penguin
The possible extinction of African penguins will not only lead to the loss of a charismatic species but will also have far-reaching environmental and economic impacts through job losses for tourism and conservation. Areas like Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town and Stony Point in Betty’s Bay on the Cape coast will lose this iconic species that attract many people to visit these areas, and Africa will lose the only endemic penguin species on the continent.
So, what is the problem?
African Penguins are faced with multiple pressures that are cumulatively contributing to their decline. Historically, egg harvesting, and guano collection led to their decline. However, the more recent decline has been attributed to food shortages caused by shifts in the distributions of their prey species; namely declining small pelagic fish stocks (such as anchovies and sardines) and direct competition with commercial purse-seine fishery for food. The island closure experiment, which was undertaken over 10 years ago, revealed the value of closing some areas to fishing that were in close proximity to breeding colonies of African penguins. However, despite many years of negotiation, no long-term decisions have been implemented.
Many African penguin colonies occur in areas that are near existing or planned major shipping routes or ports. A growing threat is the expansion of harbours and an increase in ship traffic. Another emerging threat for the African penguin, is ship-to-ship bunkering, which has started in Algoa Bay and is planned to expand to the West Coast. A large oil spill in the proximity of a breeding colony could destroy much of the remaining population. For example, four oil spills have already occurred in Algoa Bay since 2016, when bunkering started. In some areas, marine noise pollution is another emerging threat to African penguins, with evidence suggesting the scale of this impact could be large. The maritime industry, including exploration for oil and gas reserves using seismic surveys is a further looming threat.
In the past, penguins made their nests in the burrows of guano. Harvesting guano removed the penguin nest material. Although guano harvesting is no longer allowed, a lack of nesting habitat is a concern. This is being addressed through revegetation efforts at some colonies and deployment of artificial nests is currently being tested at several colonies.
Other threats include disease outbreaks, extreme weather events, localised predation, and human disturbance at breeding colonies. All these threats require carefully implemented management plans for each penguin colony.
The Waddle – How to Join
On 23 April 2023 the Two Oceans Aquarium, in support of the #NOOW African Penguin Campaign, invites everyone to join a Penguin Waddle to show love and care for the well-being of South Africa’s marine environment and its special inhabitants, the African penguin.
The Two Oceans Aquarium penguin mascot Samantha will lead the Waddle, starting at Muizenberg beach at 08h30. They will then walk the 15km to the Boulders Beach African penguin colony in Simon’s Town, with the hope of getting the attention of passers-by. The Aquarium asks all those attending to show their support by wearing black and white clothing and to bring signs reflecting the #NOOW hashtag and slogans.
Do your bit to highlight the need for urgent protection of the African penguin from extinction in this event leading up to World Penguin Day.
Date: 23 April 2023
Time: 08h30 to 13h30
Location: Surfer’s Corner, Muizenberg to Boulders, Simon’s Town
Register: https://forms.office.com/r/giEb5GQNL7
There are prizes up for grabs: Five pairs of entry tickets to Boulders Beach courtesy of SANParks. Winners will be randomly selected from a lucky draw at the end of the waddle.
Come prepared: wear comfortable walking shoes, bring water (in reusable water bottles) and some snacks for fuel in reusable bags. Please no plastic. Get creative and make your own signs creating awareness of the plight of the African penguin, or make use of the various infographics that can be found on the #NOOW Campaign website https://www.africanpenguinnotonourwatch.org/
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