Hope For Penguins

The De Hoop Nature Reserve on the south-western coast of South Africa is one of CapeNature’s flagship conservation areas. The associated marine protected area is home to a vast array of marine species, from whales to fish and turtles. And for a short time in the mid-2000s it was home to African Penguins too. A small colony established itself there naturally and was first found on a small headland on the eastern side of the reserve in 2003. Increasing to 18 breeding pairs by 2006, with about 100 other penguins roosting there regularly, the colony seemed off to a promising start. However, penguins are particularly vulnerable to predators when on land. A local caracal soon learnt that there were easy meals to be had and the colony was abandoned by 2008.

- Christina Hagen

A decade later, after years of planning, construction started on a predator-proof fence at the colony site as part of an attempt by BirdLife South Africa, CapeNature and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to resurrect the colony. There are two phases to this project. The first was to attempt to lure the penguins back using a bit of trickery, or ‘social attraction’. Life-like penguin decoys were placed around the colony and penguin calls were broadcast through loudspeakers to help create the impression of a thriving colony. After two years, although there was an encouraging sign in the form of a juvenile penguin coming ashore next to a group of decoys to moult, it was decided to move onto the next phase. Time is running out for this iconic African seabird.

The African Penguin population is decreasing rapidly, primarily due to a lack of food. A shift in fish stocks away from the species’ historic feeding grounds on the west coast as well as competition with the fishing industry have meant that African Penguins breeding on the west coast of South Africa are struggling to find food. Penguins have been unable to follow the changed prey distribution because of a lack of safe breeding sites along the southern Cape coast. The birds generally breed on islands, which are naturally free of terrestrial predators, but there are no islands along the southern Cape coast. The two existing mainland colonies at Boulders Beach (Simon’s Town) and Stony Point (Betty’s Bay) are to an extent protected by the towns surrounding them, which has reduced terrestrial predator abundance. The De Hoop colony site is therefore important as a means to get the penguins closer to the fish.