The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) recently hosted a celebratory event with Isuzu Motors South Africa and various stakeholders to officially open the newly renovated Home Pen enclosure at its Gqeberha premises.
The new home pen enclosure is an important feature as it houses 44 African Penguins and one Cape Gannet that permanently reside at the Gqeberha facility. For various reasons these seabirds unfortunately are not fit to be returned to the wild, so will spend their remaining years at the centre. The renovated home pen not only provides the permanent seabirds with a more spacious area to call home but allows tour groups and environmental education programmes to get closer to view these incredible seabird species.
“We received a very generous donation from Isuzu that covered the costs for the renovation of the home pen. We are very grateful for their support to make this project a reality. We’re excited about the impact that this home pen will have on the welfare of our permanent residents and the impact it will have on our environmental education programme and visitor experience,” says Natalie Maskell, SANCCOB’s chief executive officer.
The endangered African Penguin is a species in crisis, with population numbers at an all-time low of less than 8 500 breeding pairs left in in the wild in South Africa. This represents 1% of the total population that was present 80 years ago and, most worryingly, the decrease is continuing. Should no further effective management actions be implemented, it is predicted that the African Penguin population along the coast of South Africa could be functionally extinct by 2035.
The causes of their decline are complex but include a lack of available food due to competition with commercial fisheries, effects of climate change, predation and maritime associated risks including oil pollution and underwater noise pollution. Each year, SANCCOB hosts thousands of touring and local visitors and school learners, who make their way to the centre to gain insight into seabird rehabilitation and conservation efforts for which the non-profit organisation is renowned worldwide.
Many of the learners and visitors coming to SANCCOB have often not yet had the opportunity to view seabirds up close. The new home pen will provide them with a life-changing experience that will create awareness about the threats facing our marine ecosystems and hopefully ignite an interest in conservation. With the decline of African Penguins taking place at an alarming rate, the more that people are educated, the greater the collective conservation impact will be to save these iconic and charismatic seabird species from going extinct.
Members of the public can book a tour at SANCCOB Gqeberha from 9am to 3:30pm, seven days a week. The souvenir shop and Flying Penguin Cafe is accessible regardless of opting for a paid tour.
CONTACT: +27 41 583 1830 | frontdesk@sanccob.co.za | www.sanccob.co.za
