Community‑rooted, empathy‑driven action for African penguins on the brink #NotBy2035
| Along the windswept shores of South Africa, a quiet rescue operation is playing out every day, one exhausted, oil-slicked, injured, or starving penguin at a time. Here’s what happens when a bird gets a second chance at life. The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is in crisis Once numbering in the millions, fewer than 10,000 breeding … Read more |
| At the current rate of decline, African penguins could become extinct in the wild by 2035, triggering severe ecological disruptions and cascading losses across marine ecosystems. Their conservation is not only an environmental imperative but also a moral and spiritual one, rooted in the species’ intrinsic worth and our ethical responsibility to protect biodiversity. What’s … Read more |
| We track metrics (outputs), such as the number of African penguins rehabilitated or the number of artificial houses provided, but measuring impact requires a deeper dive. Outputs vs. Impact: The Core Distinction Outputs Impact Tangible deliverables or activities Meaningful change resulting from those deliverables Often countable: events held, signs posted, posts shared Often qualitative or … Read more |
| The Proust Questionnaire began as a Victorian parlor game that Marcel Proust, the French novelist and master of introspection, helped make famous. He believed that by answering a set of deceptively simple questions, a person could reveal the contours of their true nature. Today, our Chief Inspiration Officer, Waddlesworth, waddles proudly into that tradition. In … Read more |
| A cautionary tale, as told by Waddlesworth, Chief Inspiration Officer Ahem! May I have your attention, please? Waddlesworth here, ambassador extraordinaire of the African penguin persuasion. Ah, dear listener, gather close. The tale I’m about to tell is not for the faint of heart or flipper. It begins with eggs, ends with empty bellies, and … Read more |
| In September, a heartbreaking scene unfolded in Simon’s Town: ten critically endangered African penguins were found dead after being stung by honeybees. These birds, beloved residents of the famous Boulders Beach colony, are so vulnerable that even a single sting can be fatal. A swarm? Catastrophic. But here’s the twist: this isn’t nature at war. … Read more |
| Scientific name: Spheniscus demersus Class: Aves Order: Sphenisciformes Family: Spheniscidae We are “banded” penguins, because of the black band over our chest our closest cousins are the Humboldt and Magellanic and Galapagos penguins. The number and arrangement of the black spots on our white chest and belly are unique to each African penguin, much like a human fingerprint. Scientists use … Read more |
| What if we reframe conservation as an economic benefit, rather than an obstacle? If the African penguin were to become extinct in the wild, South Africa’s brand reputation as an environmentally healthy destination, famed for its natural assets, would suffer according to a study commissioned by The Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Department of Forestry, … Read more |
| You may wonder why our partners step in to raise chicks instead of leaving them in their natural habitat. It’s not because African penguins are bad parents; in fact, they are remarkable caregivers, especially given the challenges they face. However, their breeding season coincides with another critical stage—molting. During molting, penguin parents must stay ashore … Read more |
| African penguins are the only penguin species that breed on the African continent. Protecting endangered African penguins is critical not only to the penguins but also to the ecosystem and humans. Their population decline from nearly one million breeding pairs in the early 1900s to just 8,324 pairs in 2023 puts them at risk for … Read more |