The African penguin is endangered but the team at SANCCOB is working hard to save the species; they are hoping to upgrade the chick rearing unit, which will allow them to save even more.
Cape Town, South Africa (06 June 2023) – South Africa’s penguin population is internationally famous, thanks to their very own Netflix show, but they are also endangered! Teams of organisations are working hard to save the species, boost their population numbers and protect their environments on land and in the water. These teams are our heroes!
Let’s meet one of them…
Meet the SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) team. They work to rescue, rehabilitate and care for all marine birds. They do however, specialise in the treatment and care of African penguins. The team has been raising awareness about the plight of the local penguins and assisting wherever needed.
The SANCCOB team goes to incredible lengths to save as many penguins as possible. The organisation is the only organisation in the world to artificially incubate and hatch wild-origin African penguin eggs and hand-rear the chicks for release back into the wild. They retrieve the eggs from abandoned nests, a phenomenon that is happening more often in the wild.
Declining numbers of fish along the West Coast is a worrying factor for the team, but they have worked with local fisheries to ensure that the remaining 10,300 breeding pairs are well-fed and cared for. So long as penguins feel they are able to provide for their chicks, they will hatch them out. If not, we see more nests abandoned and SANCCOB stepping in.
Hatching Eggs
SANCCOB’s Chick Bolstering Project commenced in 2006 as a collaborative project between SANCCOB, conservation authorities, and the South African government in order to arrest and reverse the decline of the African penguin population.
They established a Chick Rearing Unit in Cape Town and started working on boosting the wild populations. The existing Chick Rearing Unit was renovated in 2011 as a dedicated facility to care for African penguin chicks which was urgently required at the time but today, the unit is in need of serious upgrades to keep up with the needs of the penguins.
They are planning to expand but need a helping hand. They have raised a substantial amount so far and are very close to this upgraded Chick Rearing Unit becoming a reality. They need to raise the final R800,000 in order to make it happen.
“Over more than five decades, SANCCOB’s Chick Bolstering Project has delivered significant rehabilitation and release successes, constructed and maintained a Chick Rearing Unit and a Nursery, trained significant numbers of staff, interns and rangers, provided stabilisation equipment and vehicles for the safe transport of chicks and eggs to the SANCCOB centres, and published articles in multiple scientific journals.
In order to create additional space, better flow, and a more hygienic environment, SANCCOB will join two existing buildings, which will expand the CRU. This expansion would include an egg incubation room, chick incubation and brooder room, a room for chicks in crates, a room for food preparation, a laundry room, a bathroom for staff and interns, a storage area, and an outdoor pen for chicks to get fresh air and sunlight. Fruition of this expansion will directly and positively impact the declining population of the African penguin.”
You can donate directly to SANCCOB here, or email here to discuss how to donate in other ways. If you would like to know more about the work being done to save the African penguin, check the website here.
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