Conservationists Fight to Save African Penguin

Two conservation agencies have taken legal action against South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Barbara Creecy, in a bid to save the African penguin from extinction.

BirdLife South Africa and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) initiated legal action against Creecy for failure to implement biologically meaningful measures to preserve the penguins’ natural habitat.

Doctor Alistair McInnes, a seabird conservationist for BirdLife South Africa, spoke with an international publication on Thursday, 9 May, revealing that the African penguin has lost 99% of its population over the last century.

“If the current rates of decline persist into the near future we could see the extinction of the species within our lifetime by 2035, so the situation is extremely urgent,” said McInnes.

At the moment, it’s estimated that there are now only 8 750 breeding pairs left in seven colonies along Africa’s southwestern coastline. However, their habitat has been greatly impacted by a slew of human-related practices, including guano harvesting, climate change and most pressingly, the commercial fishing industry.

The first hearing is yet to be scheduled. The South African government has also yet to comment on the matter.

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