African Penguin

The African Penguin

All About the African Penguin!

The African Penguins also known as the Black Footed Penguin, on average will weigh 5-9 pounds and are up to 27 inches tall and can live to be up to 10 in the wild. You can only find these small penguins on the Southern Coast of Africa scattered along 24 different islands.
Even in these natural habitats, humans can approach them within three feet without any fear of attack or aggravating the African Penguins.  These penguins, like most, survive off local species of fish including: squid, sardines, anchovies, and pilchards.

Reasons for Decline

“African Penguin population dropped from 1.5 million to less than 55,00o in the past 100 years.”

After being moved to the endangered species list in 2010, it has been forecasted that the African Penguin will become extinct in the next 15 year is conservation efforts fail. Like many endangered species, the decline in population for the African Penguin can lead directly and indirectly back to humans. The first reason for decline is the decreased number of penguins being born; as mentioned before, penguins can live up to 10 years in the wild, unfortunately, they usually do not reach the age of reproduction until they are around 6 years old. Then, when they are finally able to mate, their eggs are often taken by the local population as a food source. As of now, there are still no laws preventing this action the the re-population of the African Penguin is being directly hindered by humans. Two other reasons for the decrease in their population are because the destruction of their habitats and food sources. Recent oil spills killed more than 19,000 penguins. The oil spill also killed a lot of the species animals rely on for food sources. These food sources have also decreased in levels due to overfishing.

Geography's Role in Conservation

Geography plays an extremely large role in the conservation of the African Penguin. Because they can only be found naturally in the southern boarder of Africa, the current condition of the area is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately this geographical location is currently being destroyed through human actions mentioned earlier, oil spills and pollution, and overfishing in the ocean.  If efforts are not made to clean and conserve these areas and prevent more human disasters such as additional oil spills, the African Penguin's numbers will continue to decrease.

The Penguin's Ecological Role

The African Penguin can have a huge effect  on local communities in Southern Africa. Locally, they provide the economy a huge boost for tourist. For example, at Boulder's Beach in Cape Town, boulders and viewpoints have been constructed to allow tourist to safely view the penguins, this attraction can bring 88,000 tourist to the area in a single year! Any kind of stimulation to an economy will in turn help the overall global monetary environment. The profits from tourist attractions can help with infrastructure development of local communities and innovative farming or manufacturing technique that can benefit anyone in the world who buys these products.  And though one of the problems facing the African Penguins is the poaching of their eggs, these eggs also provide a large food source for humans and help keep them alive in the undeveloped areas of their habitats.

What is Currently Being Done 

There are currently many efforts taking place to help prevent the extinction of the African Penguin both reversing current situation and prevent future destruction.  For example, after an oil spill volunteers rallied together to help clean and transport almost 20,000 penguins. Research is also being preformed by tracking the penguins to learn more about natural migration patterns and penguin life spans. Another research project being conducted is by Lorien Pichegru from the University of Cape Town's Percy FitzPatrick Institue of African Ornithology in regards to the overfishing problem effecting the penguins. They are working to understand the benefits of stopping fishing in the penguins direct hunting areas without effecting the finishing industry and fishermen in the local communities.

How You Can Help!

There are many ways you can help support the conservations effort for the African Penguin:

1. Consider donating time or money to the following conservation efforts!
1.  http://www.sospecies.org/sos_projects/birds/southafricanpenguinsii/
2. http://www.hillsofafrica.com/blog/help-save-the-african-penguin
3. https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Donation2?df_id=7741&7741.donation=form1&s_src=AWG1308SSGC0&searchen=google&gclid=CJSXjrzZ1r8CFQOHaQodM10AgQ
2. Do not have extra money to spend? Show your support by signing this petition to save the African Penguins, any publicity is good publicity for conservation!
1. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/842/196/099/save-the-african-penguin/
3. Have a TON of extra money you want to spend? Visit the African Penguins in Cape Town!
1.  http://www.capetown.travel/attractions/entry/Boulders_Penguin_Colony
4. Do you have a Facebook? Of course you do! Show you support with a simple like!
1. https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheAfricanPenguins
5. Average college student with a little money to spend? Learn more about the African Penguin at the Cincinnati Zoo! Attend the Penguin Encounter to get up close and personal with one of these small creatures! 
 

Sources:

http://www.penguins-world.com/african-penguin/
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/06/02/african_penguin_endangered/
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/south-africa/110617/african-penguins-endangered-species-cape-town