PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Dressed to the nines in their tuxedos, four penguins waddled their way back to freedom on Plettenberg Bay's Lookout Beach this past weekend in celebration of African Penguin Awareness Day.
Their release was part of an initiative by local environmental groups including the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre, the Nature's Valley Trust, Wessa beach stewards, CapeNature, the Orca Foundation and BirdLife Plettenberg Bay, to stem the dwindling number of African penguins.
Many penguins wash up on the beaches of Plettenberg Bay and surrounds due to factors such as dehydration, exhaustion, arrested moult or illness. They are then nursed back to health and, after being given the all-clear, are released back into the wild.
On Saturday 12 October, African Penguin Awareness Day, it was the turn of Maya, Plopper, Peaks and Café au lait.
Bumblefoot
Maya, who was rescued at Buffalo Bay, is no stranger to the rehabilitation process. The penguin came to Tenikwa in July 2023, weighing only 1.1kg and suffering from bumblefoot and worms.
Weak and unable to stand, he quickly stole his carers' hearts. After eight days of care, he was introduced to other penguins and thrived. He was released in November 2023, but was found again in February this year, after having struggled with moulting at sea.
After some recovery, he weighed in at 2.98kg at release, ready for another chance in the wild.
Dehydrated
Maya's "friend" Café au lait was rescued on the Tsitsikamma coast in December last year, weighing 2.2kg. The bird was dehydrated and needed time to finish moulting. "He was soon thriving in the main pool with the other penguins," the team at Tenikwa said.
Before his release Café au lait weighed 3.26kg and was ready for the ocean after bonding with Maya during his time at the rehabilitation centre.
'Cranky nature'
Plopper, who was found in the Buffalo Bay area in March this year, was unable to stand due to anaemia from Babesia. "Although grumpy from the start, he steadily recovered and is now a healthy 2.9kg. Despite his cranky nature, Plopper was ready for release with his fellow penguins."
The fourth penguin that made its way back to the ocean was Peaks. The penguin was rescued in the Tsitsikamma area by visitors from Cape Town in May this year and only weighed 1.75kg. At release, Peaks weighed 2.96kg.
Overfishing
Their release was made possible by Tenikwa, Robberg Veterinary Clinic, Plett Marine Animal Stranding Network, Birdlife Plettenberg Bay, Plettenberg Bay Tourism, Bitou municipality, and the Nature's Valley Trust.
According to research, in the 1950s there were about 141 000 African penguins, but 60 years down the line there were only 19 300. One of the main causes for this decline is overfishing due to competition between commercial fisheries for fish such as sardines, anchovies and herring.
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