SANCCOB need a helping hand to do laundry, cover the costs of caring for the Cape Cormorant chicks and caring for them all the hours of the day. So if you want to help, this is all you need to know.
Table View, South Africa (14 January 2021) – It has been two days since SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) jumped into action to save a flock of abandoned Cape Cormorant chicks on Robben Island.
When we reported the story yesterday, we said it was only 128 chicks, but this number has quickly grown to an almost overwhelming 2000. The organisation shared that this rescue is the second-largest they have ever undertaken; the first being the MV Treasure oil spill in 2000.
As there were an estimated 3000 breeding pairs on the island and each next consisting of two to three chicks, the rescue efforts will be massive.
“We will have many needs in the months ahead but right now we urgently need the dividers shown in this video, as well as help with our laundry please. Admission of Cape cormorant chicks is still underway as nearly 2,000 have been rescued from Robben Island, making it the second largest seabird rescue after the MV Treasure oil spill of 2000.”
SANCCOB will need many helping hands in the coming months as they raise the Cape Cormorant chicks. The biggest will be their laundry and its an easy thing for people to help with. You can take clean towels to the facility and collect a few of their dirty ones to wash. It can be a good deed washing cycle.
SANCCOB is focusing its resources on providing the veterinary and rehabilitative care for the cormorant chicks until eventual release in two to three months, while simultaneously rehabilitating existing seabird patients. In light of this crisis situation, SANCCOB will need the public’s support to help in their fundraising endeavours to contribute to medication and fish for the chicks.
Please contact Hedwich Tulp and Ronnis Daniels to lend support in terms of donations at Hedwich@sanccob.co.za and Ronnis@sanccob.co.za or phone +27 21 557 6155. If you would like to sign up as a volunteer, you can do so here.
“If you can donate these or know of companies that may sponsor then please drop off at our centre in Table View and share with your network. Laundry can be collected & dropped at the front gate to decrease the number of people on-site. We are at 22 Pentz Drive. Thank you in advance!”
The mass abandonment is currently under investigation, and hopefully, they will be able to understand what happened soonest, but they suspect it has to do with food shortages.
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“Cape cormorants feed mainly on anchovy (and to a smaller extent on sardines) and these small pelagic fish species are at very low levels at the moment. We are seeing dramatic population declines in all seabird species that rely on these fish species; the African penguin, the Cape gannet and Cape cormorant, are all listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and lack of sufficient food is the primary factor for the most recent declines observed,” explains Dr Katta Ludynia, SANCCOB’s Research Manager.
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