African penguins have just been placed on the critically endangered list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with approximately 3,650 days left until they go extinct forever.
Starvation and human activity are threatening the species’ last, dwindling numbers – only 3% of the original population remain.
With only 8,750 breeding pairs left in South Africa, the situation for African penguins is critical – and the time to act is NOW.
Chicks hatched in incubators after their eggs were abandoned are hand-reared until they are strong enough to be released. Credit: Reuters/Esa Alexander
Alarmingly, as you read this, the fate of African penguins is hanging in the balance. Increasingly, parent penguins are dying due to starvation – caused by rampant overfishing – and oil spills, which impact their ability to hunt, swim and regulate their body temperature.
When they die, their fertilized eggs are left abandoned, and right now, there are eggs all along the coast of South Africa for parents who will never return. Without urgent intervention, these eggs will not survive, dashing hopes for the survival of the entire species.
The most critical need right now is to rescue the abandoned eggs and bring them to our partner’s specialized breeding facility.
Penguin parents look after eggs together, with one caring for the eggs while the other hunts. With food resources dwindling, the hunting parents are dying of starvation at sea, forcing the carers to abandon their nests in search of food. Credit: Bernd Dittrich
We are working with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), an organization dedicated to conserving seabird populations in South Africa. It works closely with wildlife rangers in South Africa who monitor breeding colonies to identify abandoned eggs, and birds in need of urgent care.
Eggs cannot survive for longer than three days without warmth.
SANCCOB runs a successful chick-bolstering program out of Cape Town, South Africa, which rescues and incubates these eggs, hand-rears chicks once hatched, and cares for them until they are strong enough to be released into protected and patrolled areas.
Oil spills and pollution impact penguins’ ability to swim, hunt and thermoregulate, leading to hypothermia, starvation and death. Credit: Avian Demography Unit of UCT
The penguin egg rescue program saves an impressive 90% of all eggs rescued. Every single life saved this way is critical for the species’ survival.
Every $1,000 (£770) we raise will empower our partner to rescue, incubate and raise a critically endangered penguin chick. With every egg crucial to the survival of the entire species, we must support this vital program.
We cannot watch these birds die off without doing everything we can to stop them disappearing forever.
Please help us save the beautiful African penguin – there is so little time left.
Credit: David Selbert
SANCCOB is working closely with government officials to curb the impacts of overfishing and progress has been made, most notably through fishing closures around African penguin breeding colonies. However, it will be a while before these initiatives show any positive impact. Meanwhile, the threat of starvation still looms large.
The loss of even one chick has devastating effects on the entire African penguin population. Your contribution today, no matter its size, will make a difference in the fight to save the African Penguin from extinction.
Please, donate right away.
