Cape Town’s Two Oceans Aquarium is celebrating International African Penguin Awareness Day in October with a four-kilometre “waddle”.
Teaming up with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and Guardians of the Deep, the aquarium is encouraging members to participate in the walking event to raise awareness around African penguin conservation.
SOUTH AFRICA’S PENGUIN POPULATION IS DECLINING, AND FAST
Per a press release on the Two Oceans Aquarium’s website:
African penguins are the only penguin species found on the African continent. Unfortunately, their numbers have declined dramatically in the last century – current estimates suggest that there are a mere ~8 750 breeding pairs in the wild today (a 16% decline in just one year, from 2022 to 2023).
Overfishing, climate change, habitat loss, and predation by both marine and terrestrial animals are among the chief factors contributing to their dwindling numbers.
As such, they are predicted to become functionally extinct within 15 to 20 years at this current rate of decline.
KEEP CALM AND WADDLE ON FOR AFRICAN PENGUINS
To highlight this issue, the aquarium, SANCCOB and Guardians of the Deep will host their “Waddle for the African Penguin” event, starting at 8:30 on Saturday morning, 11 October.
Participants will meet at Long Beach in Simon’s Town. Here, they can get their faces painted penguin-style before the “waddle” begins.
The four-kilometre trek will see you walking through Simon’s Town Walk and along the Boulders Beach boardwalk, concluding at Seaforth Beach, which is located near the Boulders Beach African penguin colony.
TAKE NOTE
Admission is free and open to all who wish to raise awareness around African penguin conservation.
Ensure that you wear comfortable walking shoes and that you bring your own water and snacks in reusable bottles and containers.
You’re also strongly encouraged to wear black-and-white clothing and bring placards in a show of support for these fine-feathered birds. Plus, you stand to win some amazing prizes, including for “best-dressed waddler”!
For more information, visit www.aquarium.co.za.
By raising conservation awareness, we can ensure the survival of our beloved bird friends – one waddle at a time.
