African Penguins Set free

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African Penguins Set free

 

 

 

 

 

An emotional crowd watched , Ajubatus, a South African marine & wildlife rescue body, release a batch of African penguins into the Indian Ocean off Cape St Francis beach early this month.

But one lone penguin, whose mate was not strong enough to be set free, refused to swim off with the others, adding further excitement to onlookers.

The penguins had been rescued and placed in Ajubatus’ care at the lighthouse rehabilitation centre where they were nursed back to health. A few weeks prior to their release they spent some time happily swimming around in the local doctor's swimming pool at Cape St Francis in the Eastern Cape.

On the day of their release they were placed in boxes that were deposited and opened on the beach. There was scarcely a dry eye as the penguins waddled slowly in convoy towards the waves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just before the wet sand, they halted in unison and formed a long line facing the sea, taking a final bow before dashing into the surf, splashing around a bit, and then heading off into the wild blue yonder.

 

The crowd was just about ready to pack and go home, when the lone penguin, named Nikita, was spotted heading back to shore. She was afraid to leave the sea owing to the crowd of people, so swam around in the shallow surf until the crowd eventually departed. Ajubatus staff picked her up and returned her to the swimming pool where it’s reliably believed Nikita had an excited reunion with her mate. When the latter has recovered sufficiently he and Nikita will be released together.

In related penguin matters, a new batch of penguins rescued from Bird island, Algoa Bay, arrived shortly afterwards at the lighthouse. They were covered in thick oil, which made it impossible for the birds to swim, and in some cases, even breathe. Their condition was so serious that they were unable to make the flight from PE to SANCCOB, a wildlife body in Cape Town, with the majority of penguins rescued by PE wildlife bodies.

These birds are currently undergoing extensive nursing by Ajubatus volunteers. They were cleaned of most of the oil a week ago and are being fed a healthy diet of sardines, pilchards and liquids. Last weekend the Editor watched a group of volunteers having to force feed a sickly, adult bird in the late afternoon. Without the dedication of these volunteers, the birds will not have much hope.

Almost half of the African penguin population breeds in Algoa Bay, however their numbers are declining annually since they are under threat from oil spills from tankers and commercial fishing.

The care of all these penguins obviously costs money. Ajubatus has been raising funds through various means, such as guided tours of the lighthouse and sales at the popular coffee shop, however more funds are required. Anyone wishing to assist can visit Ajubatus website: www.ajubatus.com.