Mashudu Mashau says it takes about two minutes to catch a penguin, a task he does every week to investigate sightings of injured or sick seabirds.
“We don’t chase… we go down, sometimes we crawl, so we don’t look threatening, and when we are close, we aim for the head, grab it and protect the penguin,” the 41-year-old guard told AFP.
Sometimes, when penguins jump from the coast of South Africa to nearby roads and hide under cars, it becomes very difficult.
“We had it today, it’s not easy to catch it because it goes from one side to the other (of the car), but we have found it,” said Mashau who has been dedicated to protecting the road for eight years. species.
Once caught and carefully placed in a crate, the small feathered animals are sent to a special hospital for treatment.
But conservationists and veterinarians are worried that their efforts are not enough to stop the decline of the African penguin, which was listed as critically endangered last month by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“No matter how big we are, if there is no healthy place for them, our work is in vain,” said veterinarian David Roberts who works at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) hospital.
Fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs remain worldwide, mainly in South Africa, down from 42,500 in 1991, and they could be extinct in the wild by 2035, says the BirdLife NGO.
– The penguins are ‘hungry’ –
Population declines are caused by a combination of factors including food shortages, climate change, disturbance, predators, disease, oil spills and more.
But the biggest threat is nutrition, says Allison Kock, a marine biologist at South African National Parks.
“Many penguins are starving and not getting enough food to breed successfully,” he told AFP. If penguins do not eat enough, especially sardines or anchovies, they often stop breeding.
Authorities have banned commercial fishing around six penguin colonies for 10 years since January.
But SANCOB and BirdLife say the catchment areas are not large enough to have a significant impact, and have sued the environment minister over the issue.
“We would like more fish in the sea but we cannot control that. What we can ask for is to reduce direct competition for the remaining fish between the fishing industry and the penguins,” SANCCOB research manager Katta Ludynia told AFP.
The South African Pelagic Fishing Industry Association says the impact of the fishing industry on penguin food sources is only a small fraction.
“Obviously there are other things that are having a negative impact on the African Penguin population,” said chairman Mike Copeland.
The Ministry of Environment has proposed that there be a discussion group “to resolve the difficult issues”, said the spokesperson. While the hearing is scheduled for March 2025, the minister — who has only been in office since July — asked for an out-of-court settlement.
Apart from the fishing grounds, there are many other initiatives underway to save the African Penguin, including artificial nests and new colonies.
– Visitor traffic –
Being labeled “high risk” can be a double-edged sword.
While conservationists hope to gain attention and funding, it makes the penguins even more attractive to tourists who sometimes disturb them.
“Penguins are very vulnerable… and the level of disturbance, people with selfie sticks, is becoming more and more of a challenge,” Arne Purves, Cape Town’s chief of coastal conservation and compliance, told AFP.
“Especially since the penguins are now at a very high level.”
Tourism is an important industry in South Africa and every year thousands of people visit the penguin colonies, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue.
For those at the forefront to save the flightless black and white birds, like Mashau, the limelight has been a long time coming.
“Five years ago it was a rhino… we hope we will get the same respect now and the same help,” he said.
It is about protecting the environment. “This is a species that is an indicator of a healthy environment that people are also a part of… and when penguins are healthy, people benefit a lot,” he said.
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