uShaka Sea World animal behaviourist, Kelly de Klerk and African penguin, Donatello, are gearing up for the International African Penguin Awareness Day on Saturday October 14.
Penguins and runners will take to the streets tomorrow, Saturday October 14 to celebrate International African Penguin Awareness Day. The South African Association of Marine Biological Research (Saambr) staff and waddlers will be joining the Point Parkrun runners and walkers, who will participate in the campaign to help spread awareness of the plight of these flightless birds.
The awareness run starts at 8am at the Marine Surf Lifesaving Club and registration for the parkrun is free to the public, said Ann Kunz, of Saambr.
“Saambr is a member of the Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) which is dedicated to the conservation of the African Penguin. The resident penguins at uShaka Sea World form part of an assurance population, which is an important part of a functional species survival plan for endangered species. To add to the day's celebrations, we will be revealing the sex of the youngest member of our penguin family, Venus at midday,” she said.
The African Penguin is an endangered species, with their numbers in the wild having dropped dramatically over the last 100 years. Also known as the Jackass Penguin because of their donkey-like bray, the African penguin is the only species that breeds on the African continent.
These birds waddle and hop clumsily on land until they reach the water where they suddenly transform into streamlined and agile swimmers able to reach speeds of up to 20 kilometres per hour. They can stay submerged for as long as two minutes, as they dart around looking for small fish to eat. The black and white colouration is known as counter-shading - with the white on the underside blending in with the water surface when seen from below, and the black on the back helping to camouflage the birds when seen from above. This helps the penguins to avoid predators at sea.
Penguins usually pair for life with one partner. They dig shallow burrows on land above the high-water mark for nests, and each parent takes turns to incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
The uShaka Sea World penguin exhibit is home to a thriving colony of African penguins. The exhibit has been specially designed to ensure that the birds receive the best possible care. uShaka Sea World has housed African penguins since 1980, when the first stranded birds were received. Since then, the colony has grown from strength to strength and hundreds of penguins have hatched successfully. The programme is now so successful that birds are sent to supplement the gene pools of other ex situ breeding colonies, said Ms Kunz.
People are asked to dress in black and white for the Point Parkrun tomorrow.
On Dyer Island's Conservation Trust's website there is information on the various projects Saambr isy working on, among them one which focuses on providing man-made nesting sites to help support the adult penguins raise their chicks.