Jack-Ass Penguins. 
Boulder's Beach. Simon's Town.

Cape Town Tourism Tour.

Bird Watching Tour

African (Jackass) Penguins (Sphensicus demersus) are so called for the donkey-like braying sounds they make when on land. There are only 16 penguin species worldwide. Jackass Penguins are endemic to mainly offshore islands and only three mainland sites on South Africa’s coast, Simon’s Town is one of the total of 28 world sites where they occur. The colony, started by the penguins themselves at Boulders Beach, is unique in that they have voluntarily inhabited suburbia and a public bathing space. Despite a traumatic history of dog and cat attacks, egg poaching and vicious landowners, they have increased from a few individuals to a colony of over 1000 penguins. This is in large part due to the diligence of Mr. van der Merwe (Van, the Penguin Man), a retired naval officer who is single-minded in his care taking and protection.

Jackass Penguins are birds that are almost totally adapted to life at sea and can spend long periods without landing. They feed on oil-rich pilchards, but have to feed on other fish and squid due to competition from commercial fisheries and increased seal populations. At sea they "fly" through the water with specially modified wings, and can attain speeds of 2.5km/hr to over 7 km/hr. Unlike whales and seals, penguins do not have blubber to insulate them against the cold, but they have a layer of air trapped beneath their feathers which gets severely damaged when coming into contact with an oil spill. Their nests are shallow hollows in soil or stones where usually two eggs are laid. Males and females share breeding and feeding duties by regurgitating fish.

Agile as they are in the sea, so are they clumsy on land, making them vulnerable to exploitation by humans and predators. Early sailors and settlers harvested penguins to the extent that from several million in the late 1800’s there are now only some 100 000 remaining. Although fully protected by law, the Jackass Penguins still face numerous threats. Chief among these are oil spills from ocean-going ships which means certain death to thousands, if oil is washed into the feeding or breeding areas.

Fortunately, the Southern African National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) was formed 20 years ago to help rescue penguins from oil spills and other disasters. 10 000 penguins were individually caught and treated successfully in just one oil spill incident. 
SANCCOB operates a rescue and rehabilitation center for injured seabirds near Tableview. It is funded solely by membership fees and public donations, and has been scientifically proved to be the most successful sea bird rehabilitation center in the world.

Picture and Text from http://www.ccm.co.za . This site is definitely worth visiting if you are planning a trip to Cape Town.

Cape Town Tourism Tour.

Bird Watching Tour

Where to go?

Fruit Cocktail
at the
Beach Hotel
Kitchen.

Dunes at the Beach Hotel
for
Beach Front Luxury
Hotel.

Contact: info@sunsetbeach.co.za
Tel: +27 21 783 4283   Fax: + 27 21 783 4286

Janthina
for pictorial sitemap