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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - While 10 rehabilitated African penguins made a beeline for the ocean on Lookout Beach on last weekend, one had some reservations and had to be persuaded to leave their enclosure.
The Nature’s Valley Trust (NVT), along with Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre and Birdlife SA, released 11 penguins on the popular Plettenberg Bay beach. The marine birds had washed up on beaches along the Garden Route in recent months and taken to Tenikwa where they were nursed back to health before the release.
NVT director Dr Mark Brown said this was the fourth release undertaken by the three organisations, not only as a conservation initiative but also as an educational tool for communities to get involved in such efforts.
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And the Plettenberg Bay community became involved in a big way on Saturday 28 July when more than 200 residents gathered on the beach to catch a glimpse of the penguins waddling down the sand towards the ocean.
The penguins waddling down the sand towards the ocean.
The penguins had a quick look around them, observing the crowd and surroundings, before heading straight to the water and disappearing in the waves. One, however, headed back to its enclosure and had to be coaxed towards the ocean. As soon as it hit the water, however, it too disappeared.
Brown believes the penguins would return to their breeding area in Port Elizabeth.
The penguins are thought to have travelled all the way to Plett for food and had suffered, among others, exhaustion along the way. Many of the penguins that wash up on beaches in the area are either moulting or have suffered injuries or other health issues.
The penguins had a quick look around them, observing the crowd and surroundings, before heading straight to the water and disappearing in the waves.
Each penguin was chipped to track their movement after their release.
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