Penguins in Africa?

Though it may seem peculiar, South Africa is home to ubiquitous Black Footed penguin weighing in at 4 to 11 lbs and standing at approximately 69cm tall once having reached maturity. The penguins can be spotted at Cape Town’s Boulder Beach, located near Simon’s Town and Stony Point in Betty’s Bay.

Having settled in the 1980′s, these black and white flightless birds have been able to remain relatively safe in this area as there is a low level of predatory threat left to otherwise threaten home. Despite their protection from natural predators, Black footed penguins have been subjected to severe egg harvesting practices which has in turn led to a fairly sharp decline in the species overall population since the later part of the 20th century.

Efforts are being made to bring awareness to their perils in ways such as allowing tourists to enter in to Penguin zones, hoping that a deeper understanding of the species themselves will lead to a widespread expose of the issues being faced on the shores of Betty’s Bay in modern day Cape Town, South Africa.

2010 Copyright Jennifer Campos