South Africa’s penguin population is in serious decline, with a 60% decrease in the penguin colony numbers over the last 20 years.
You can still see penguins at Boulders Bay and Stony Point Penguin colony, but the penguins of the West Coast are struggling to survive thanks to declining supplies of their preferred food, sardines and anchovies. Now, conservationists have come up with a plan to lure them to new hunting grounds at De Hoop Nature Reserve, where these fish are still abundant.
About De Hoop Nature Reserve
This Overberg reserve is already a haven for several species of birds, including waterfowl, African fish eagles, Cape vultures, flamingos, terns and avocets. Birdwatchers flock here for a chance sighting of specials such as the Southern Tchagras and Knysna Woodpeckers, while cyclists love exploring the wide-open spaces.
It’s also a popular spot for whale watching during the spring season.
The Power of Suggestion
To prevent undue stress on the birds due to physically relocating them, BirdLife South Africa and CapeNature have teamed up to convince them that it’s their own idea.
They’re attempting to lure the penguins to De Hoop using a technique called passive attraction. This unorthodox method involves using decoys and recordings to draw the birds to their new home.
The initiative has taken several years of discussions and careful planning to ensure a smooth transition, and at last it looks like it’s time to make the move.
So far, 23 life-size models of African penguins have been installed on-site, along with hidden playback speakers to broadcast the sounds of an active (and attractive) penguin stomping ground. The idea is to convince young birds, ready to start their adult life, that there is already a breeding site there.
The benefits of this gentle method of relocation are less stress on the birds, no disruption in familial bonds and less disturbance to birds who are already breeding. The latter will simply remain where they are since new frontiers aren’t as attractive to them.
It’s a totally natural phenomenon for younger adults to fly the coop in search of new territories. However, being colonial breeders, African penguins have a crowd mentality and are rarely the first to embrace anything new.
If they can be convinced that there’s a thriving penguin colony on-site, they’ll be more likely to make the move on their own. It’s normal for penguins to move their breeding grounds according to where fish stocks are.
With no islands available off the coast, they’ve been trapped in their current position and have to swim further to feed on the constantly shifting shoals. They’re known to visit the waters of De Hoop to feed; now they just need to be convinced to stay.
The Way Forward
This method of moving birds has been used successfully with Atlantic puffins and Australasian gannets, so there’s a chance it may just work. Once the new colony is established, chicks from rescue centers will be released at the site too.
If it fails, there will be no choice but to physically relocate the young adults. Either way, De Hoop Nature Reserve is getting an African penguin colony.
If all goes according to plan, we should be able to see African Penguins at De Hoop Nature Reserve within the next 3 to 5 years. For now, all conservationists can do is hit the play button, hold thumbs and hope for the best.
You can check in on the progress of this project by booking a Cape Town vacation, where you can enjoy day trips to all the best places to see African penguins in South Africa. Get in touch today and we’ll arrange it all for you.
