The Penguin Frontline: Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre (SAPREC), Mossel Bay

Love can be found in the most unlikely places. Although starting life with humble beginnings, The Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre (SAPREC) has become the heart of seabird rescue in Mossel Bay, thanks to the dedication of Carol Walton. Now moved on from its starting point in Carol’s garage to a small unit on the outskirts of town, it continues to be built by the grit and determination of its staff to make a difference.

African penguins are an endangered species. Their breeding populations have decreased by 73% over 30 years, from 42,500 breeding pairs in 1991 to 10,400 breeding pairs in 2021. According to researchers, one of the triggers behind their decline is overfishing, along with climate change and habitat loss.

Small pelagic fish, like anchovy and sardine, are their primary food source, and evidence suggests African penguin populations rapidly fall in line with sardine stocks. Cape gannets and Cape cormorants – species also rehabilitated by the Centre – feed on these fish too and have experienced population declines as well.

Studies in the Eastern Cape have shown that penguins must now travel much further to forage for prey if fishing activity occurs in the area. Swimming further to find prey requires more energy which can ultimately lead to starvation. Penguin hunting efficiency may be decreasing too. As these seabirds hunt best in larger groups, with their population declining, so does their foraging ability. Penguin parents may also be away from their nests for longer in search of food, affecting chick survival rates.

Every year penguins go through a process known as ‘moulting’. During this time, they replace all their feathers over three to four weeks. As they shed and replace their feathers, they cannot feed as they temporarily lose their insulation and waterproofing. Before moulting, penguins must accumulate an extra 40% of their body weight to survive and to ensure they have sufficient energy to hunt successfully when moulting has ended. With dwindling prey abundance, this is becoming harder and harder.

With the odds increasingly stacked against them, it’s easy to see why rehabilitation centres like SAPREC are vital to African penguin conservation. Being the only facility in a three-hour radius equipped to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured or stranded seabirds in the Mossel Bay area means SAPREC fills a critical gap in the South African coastline for monitoring and rehabilitating seabirds.

As international borders closed during the global pandemic, like many organisations, SAPREC struggled to fund its crucial conservation work as it lost income from international volunteers and tourists who visited the Centre. With borders now open again and tourism slowly returning, things are looking up, but much like the penguins themselves, they’re not out of the woods yet.

The Centre’s next chapter involves an ambitious project. They are hoping to build a new facility equipped for the next generation of SAPREC, and improve their capacity to assist injured seabirds in the area while educating visitors on African penguin conservation. You can be a part of their story by donating to their fundraiser on their website or simply by raising awareness of their work. The future of our feathered friends is a little bit safer thanks to the courage and tenacity of the team at SAPREC.