There are two new kids on the block, and they are stealing the show – Victory and Venus are penguin chicks that hatched in July.
The cute chicks are being doted on by their parents, Snoop Dog and Levi, and Aladdin and Kelso at the uShaka Sea and Animal World in Durban.
Ann Kunz, communications manager for the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), said the chicks hatched in the penguin colony.
“Their proud parents have been looking after them around the clock. Venus had a bit of a shaky start and had to get some supplemental feed from the animal care staff. She was not gaining weight initially, but she has bounced back strong and is increasing in size daily. Our birds, like the chicks’ parents – Snoop Dogg, Levi, Aladdin and Kelso, form part of an assurance population which is an important part of a functional species survival plan for endangered species,” said Ms Kunz.
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment (DFFE), together with various conservation organisations and research institutions, have been monitoring the African penguin population and noted an 8% decline per year since 2005. This puts the penguins at risk of becoming functionally extinct within the next two decades, said Ms Kunz.
“To understand the threats and how to mitigate some of them, DFFE appointed an international review panel in December 2022,” she said.
“Highly esteemed scientists worked together and delivered a report to the department in July 2023. The short-term recommendation was to exclude fishing around island breeding colonies. Research at Dassen and Robben Islands demonstrated that closing fishing around these breeding colonies are likely to reduce the rate of decline in the population to some extent, while various other contributing factors need to be taken into consideration too.”
Balancing the interests of penguins, the fishing industry, and accurate assessment of closure impacts, including the absence of closures, presents a complex challenge, she said. Evaluating closure options involve making policy choices that align with South Africa’s conservation, economic and societal aspirations.
“We are optimistic that there will indeed be more hope for these special birds. We want southern Africa’s only penguin species, to not just survive but to one day thrive in the wild,” said Ms Kunz.
