PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - "Lovers don't finally meet somewhere, they're in each other all along,'' goes the Sufi mystic Rumi's sage saying, and it seems to apply to humans and animals alike if the relationship between two penguins at the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Plett is anything to go by.
The two adult African penguins, both rescued and rehabilitated for release back into the wild over the past few months, made what could be a lifelong connection at the centre.
Primarily monogamous like some humans and most doves, penguins have sometimes been known to stray – but not into each others' wings so dedicatedly as the two lovers named Romeo and Juliet by the team at Tenikwa due to their unbreakable bond.
They were brought there from two completely different beaches after suffering different ailments and fell head over heels soon after. If the species could fly, it would have been love at first flight.
'Inseparable couple'
Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) director Dr Mark Brown said the two spent several months together being nursed back to health.
"Not only did they become stronger and healthier, but they also fell in love. They became inseparable during the time at Tenikwa," Brown said.
Romeo also became very protective of his Juliet, Brown said, and even showed aggressive behaviour towards anyone who dared approach his mate.
Eleven rehabilitated African penguins were released at Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay on Saturday 19 January. Photo: Supplied
Thanks to the care at Tenikwa and several other organisations that form part of an initiative that attempts to counter dwindling African penguin numbers, the two are set for a less tragic ending to their love story.
They were among 11 penguins released at Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay on 19 January – a day before Penguin Awareness Day on 20 January. These birds are found feeding around the coast and often wash up on local beaches. This is due to factors such as dehydration, exhaustion, arrested moult or illness.
Collaborative effort
The release was the seventh of its kind and is a collaborative effort by NVT, Tenikwa, Birdlife South Africa, Cape Nature, Wessa beach stewards and the Orca Foundation.
In a blog by NVT intern Jackson Werts, he writes about why awareness of any kind is important, stressing that without it, ignorance persists. "Being unaware of a situation has time and time again led to many terrible situations that could have been avoided," Werts says.
Eleven rehabilitated African penguins were released at Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay on Saturday 19 January. Photo: Mike Bridgeford
Noting that penguins are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, he continues: "The reason they are in this predicament is, on top of disease and natural predations by orcas, seals, sharks and gulls, we have man-made impacts such as climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and more."
Werts says South Africa is home to many mainland and offshore African penguin colonies.
"These birds are in danger of future extinction. Issues like overfishing, human interaction and global warming have had an immense impact on the survival of the species. From the mid-1900s to the 2000s population numbers fell by 90%. Then from 2001 to 2012 penguin numbers plummeted from 56 000 to 19 000 pairs. Today the rapid population drop has slowed but not stopped."
'Difficult to flourish'
He says organisations like the ones responsible for the rehabilitation and release of the penguins in Plettenberg Bay have been doing their best to slow this decrease.
"But they can only do so much. Local nature reserves and national parks also play important roles acting as sanctuaries in which the penguins can thrive. But with oil spills, plastic pollution, and overfishing it is extremely difficult for these penguins to flourish."
Off to freedom… Eleven rehabilitated African penguins were released at Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay on Saturday 19 January. Photo: Supplied
While the issues around penguin conservation are complicated, Werts says, the best action locals and visitors can take is to support local conservation efforts and spread the word.
'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route news'
