African penguins (previously known as Jackass penguins because of the braying noise that they make) are cute little birds, which are unfortunately endangered.
On Saturday, 27 October 2018, visitors to Stony Point Nature Reserve in Betty’s Bay will have an opportunity to view rehabilitated African penguins being released back into the wild. This third annual ‘Penguin Palooza’ is a joint initiative between the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and CapeNature, as part of the month-long celebrations around marine conservation and more specifically, African penguin awareness.
There are five primary African penguin breeding colonies in the Western Cape: Dassen Island, Robben Island, Boulders Beach, Stony Point and Dyer Island. According to SANCCOB, “the African penguin colony at Stony Point in Betty’s Bay is the only colony that is showing measurable signs of increase, and currently supports more pairs of African penguins than the three coastal islands in the Western Cape combined, which were traditional ‘strongholds’ of African penguins and other breeding seabirds”.
There will be a community market and educational activities, as well as a social media competition. The first 100 visitors will gain free entry to the colony and a complimentary cup of coffee.
Join us on Saturday, 27 October 2018 for the third Penguin Palooza, jointly hosted by SANCCOB and CapeNature at the Stony Point Nature Reserve in Betty’s Bay.
Bring the family to watch the public beach release of rescued African penguins.#CapeNature#SANCCOB#MarineMonth pic.twitter.com/07i1kLNYIv
— CapeNature (@CapeNature1) October 19, 2018
