African Penguin

By Karla Aguilar

The animal I chose as my area of focus is the African Penguin, also known as the Jackass Penguins (due to their

bray that resembles that of a donkey). The African penguin species are typically found in Namibia and South

Africa but are occasionally also found in other areas in Africa such as Mozambique. For this task, I intend on answering my main question that is; Why are African

Penguins endangered? As well as other questions such as When were they first recognised as endangered? and How

can humans help to conserve the African Penguins?

Introduction

I aimed to find out how and what caused African Penguins to become endangered as it is related to my main question that

is; Why are African Penguin endangered? I followed many methods to complete this such as looking through factsheets and websites regarding the effects of global warming on our

planet and how it has affected our ecosystems. I then continued to read articles specifically about the African

Penguin, focusing on finding out why the species is endangered and how global warming and human impact

played a part in it. I believe that my lack of overall knowledge about the effects of climate change on the

ecosystem and the amount of animals it has affected, limited my understandings and research of the African Penguin. I initially found it very difficult to find and select an animal I

thought would be suitable as my area of focus. However when I had finally chosen the African Penguin, I found the aspect of researching and interpreting the information I

collected, difficult.

Background

During my research, I discovered that one of the main reasons for the decline of the African Penguin species is because of the

decrease of food for the colonies. Due to the rising and warming of the oceans, fish such as anchovies and sardines (which make up

most of the African Penguin's diet) have moved eastward, leaving the penguins with less food. Not only that, but the penguins are

also affected by the over-fishing by commercial fisheries. Initially, the collection of eggs for food and was blamed for the decreasing numbers of the colonies, however there have been conservation laws saying it is prohibited to do this making it less of a concern.

The African Penguin species were first recognised as ‘endangered’ in 2010 and have declined immensely since the first full census in 1956. During this census a total of 150,000 breeding pairs were estimated but recent census’ estimate that only 25,000 African

Penguin pairs exist. This indicates that the population of the African Penguin has decreased by an estimated 80% over a little

more than half a century. The discovery of this information, brings up the question of How much longer until the African Penguins are

completely extinct if no action is done to help conserve the species?

Data/Findings

After researching about the African Penguins, I realised how much humans have affected the natural state of the ecosystem, both negatively and positively. I recognised that us humans have impacted the Earth tremendously

and that we should take it upon ourselves to help conserve the world and its creatures before it’s too late. To spread awareness about the African Penguins, I have

created a Weebly page containing information on the animal and also information on how to make a

contribution towards the conservation of African Penguins. (africanpenguinsinfo.weebly.com)

Recommendations and Reflection

Year 1- Promote websites and pages that inform the public about the depleting numbers of African Penguins.

Year 2- Propose that zoos and other conservation groups, establish breeding programs for this species.

Year 3- Organise a group of people that will form a fundraising committee that will hold campaigns. The money collected at these fundraisers will be contributed to the research and conservation

of African Penguins. Year 4- Hold conferences and information sessions informing people about the consequences of global warming and how it

affects the ecosystem.Year 5- Write to the South African and Namibian government and

suggest that they legislate laws that make it prohibited for commercial fishermen to fish in certain areas where penguin

colonies inhabit and also suggest that they establish a certain limit on the bagging of fish as a prevention of over-fishing.

5 Year Plan:

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-e-6-african-penguin-endangered-25245.html

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3861

http://www.newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/06/02/african_penguin_endangered

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=646http://www.penguins.cl/african-penguins.htmhttp://africanpenguin.co.za/penguinfacts.html

http://www.penguinworld.com/types/african.htmlhttp://

www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/south-africa/110617/african-penguins-endangered-species-cape-town

http://www.alertdiver.com/africanpenguin http://

www.arkive.org/african-penguin/spheniscus-demersushttp://www.penguins.cl/african-penguins.htm

Resources