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- The African penguin is a small penguin that lives in South Africa, measuring 50 cm tall. It is currently endangered, with its population declining significantly from 150,000 in 2000 to around 40,000 today.
- Human activities such as egg collection, oil spills, and climate change have caused a decline in the African penguin population, and experts fear that it could go extinct by 2035.
- Boulders Beach in South Africa is an African penguin habitat, providing a good example of how to protect endangered species and engage tourists in raising awareness about African penguins.
Penguins are animals that represent the cold Antarctic. Did you know that there are penguins in Africa too?
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African penguins are penguins that live in South Africa and have a very small body size of about 50 cm tall. They waddle around, looking like a baby who has just learned to walk. African penguins, which live in a warm environment of 10~20℃, are characterized by the pink patterns above their eyes. They are also called 'Jackass penguins' because their cry is similar to that of a donkey.
IUCN
African penguins are currently facing extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the African penguin is listed as endangered (EN). Currently, there are about 40,000 African penguins left. This is a significant decrease from about 150,000 in 2000. The population of African penguins is still declining. Some experts say that if African penguins continue to decline at this rate, they could become extinct by 2035.
IUCN
African penguins are animals that are heavily affected by human influence, as they live in areas accessible to humans. In the early 20th century, collecting African penguin eggs was widespread among people, and this is said to have led to a decline in the African penguin population. Of course, collecting eggs is now legally prohibited.
Oil spills that occur continuously in the sea have also affected the decline in population. Since African penguins live on the coast, they are easily affected when oil spills in the sea drift to the coast.
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Climate change is another factor that threatens African penguins. The rise in sea surface temperature has made it difficult for African penguins to find food in the ocean. African penguins detect low water temperatures and high chlorophyll to find plankton and identify where fish are, enabling them to hunt for food. This process of finding food is hindered by the rising water temperature. Now, African penguins have to travel longer distances than before to find food. Also, the change in the types of fish that live in the sea due to rising water temperature is also hindering African penguins' food-finding activities.
In addition, humans have had various negative impacts on African penguins. In 2022, there was a report that noise from large ships in the sea caused a sharp decline in the number of penguins. Noise interferes with African penguins' ability to find food. Moreover, hunting African penguins often occurs.
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African penguins live on Boulders Beach in South Africa. This is a popular tourist destination, but people are not allowed to approach African penguins to protect the endangered species. Boulders Beach is making many efforts to allow penguins to grow up in a wild environment. It is fortunate that there are good habitats like Boulders Beach that protect endangered species and raise awareness about African penguins among tourists.
