South Africa Penguins

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South Africa:

Penguins

Penguins are not restricted to Antarctica. Just as there are penguins in South America, there are also penguins in Africa. Until recently, this endangered species was known as the Jackass Penguin due to the loud braying sound they make. Recently attempts have been made to change the name to the African Penguin so as not to offend the tourists. Jackass penguins are native to the countries of South Africa and Namibia and occur nowhere else. They are the only penguins native to Africa. Occasionally stray penguins of other species drop in, but they don't live in Africa or reproduce there.
	All of these pictures were taken at the penguin sanctuary at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town (Simonstad in Afrikaans), a short drive from Cape Town. The area has been fenced in to keep penguins from wandering out and into town. Apparently they love to hang out under cars. People living in the surrounding area are not as enthusiastic about the penguins as the tourists. (Imagine trying to sleep at night with hundreds of donkey's carrying on, not to mention the smell of guano.) Still, it is the only place in Africa where the penguin population is on the rise, so the neighbors will have to make due.
I visited the sanctuary twice, once in November and then again in April of the following year (1999). During the first visit, almost all the penguins were molting. This process takes several days, during which time the penguins can't swim, since they are shedding their mature feathers which provide them with insulation against the icey water and give them buoyancy. No swimming means no eating, so to conserve energy, they just stand around all day huddled up next to each other watching the people watch them. It was possible to get very close without causing a reaction.
	When I returned in April, everything was different. First of all, a walkway with viewing platforms had been constructed to keep humans and penguins separated. Apparently there had been an incident in which a nervous penguin felt trapped and wanted to get through an area blocked by tourists. In its distress it pecked the ankle of a British fellow who reacted by involuntarily kicking it. The veterinarians were unable to save it and had to put it to sleep. Besides the different perspective afforded by the walkway, the penguins were very active and spread out. It was no longer just a large huddled mass -- The penguins had separated into individuals, each concerned with its own business.


Penguins in Conference	Penguins Nesting	Cooling off Position


This little guy was very interested in my camera.	Penguins can also be viewed at the aquarium in Cape Town.

Related Links

Boulder Beach Guesthouse -- Contains some useful penguin links as well as music and animated penguin images. Click if you want to see dancing penguins.
Van the Penguin Man -- Very comprehensive web site put together by a Mr. H. J. van der Merwe, who apparently works with the penguins at Boulders Beach.
Boulders Beach: One of our favorite places -- Put together by a pair of South African 4th Graders.
10,000 African Penguins Recued from Oil Spill -- 1994 news article originally published in African Wildlife. This article gives a great deal of background information on the history of penguin conservation in South Africa.
The Evening Dress Parade -- A good easy-to-read introduction to the African Penguin.
Stories and Legends about Penguins -- Pertains to penguins in general (Not just African Penguins). This site has some very entertaining stories that provide a lot of insight into penguin personality.
Utah's Hogle Zoo -- Penguin -- Gives a brief but detailed profile of the Jackass Penguin with some nice pictures.
The Kenneth Boone Family World Tour -- Cute page, part of a larger site by a family on a year-long world tour. This page has a link to an 8-second wav file of penguins braying.
Cape Mountain Meanders -- Penguins -- Gives some history of the penguins at Simon's Town.