Penguins – but not where you expect them
Cape Town is renowned for many things, including its wonderful beaches and the many colorful characters who inhabit the city and its surroundings. None however are perhaps as famous as the African penguins of Boulders Beach.
You may not associate these black and white creatures with South Africa – after all, they tend to live in the much colder environs of Antarctica, a long way to the south of Cape Town. Just one hour’s drive from the Mother City (25 miles or 40km) along the Cape Peninsula you’ll find the pretty coastal settlement of Simon’s Town. It has long been a naval base and fishing port, but today the town makes a wonderful destination for visitors.
Situated on the shores of False Bay (well-known for its population of great white sharks), Simon’s Town has some great seafront restaurants and cafés that make for a wonderful stop if you’re on your way to or from Cape Point. At Journey Beyond, we have years of experience in including memorable day trips in our itineraries, so leave it to us to combine the diverse attractions of the Cape into an unforgettable excursion for you and your family.
Meet the locals
Once you arrive at Boulders Beach, it won’t be long before you start to spot the main attraction – charismatic black and white African penguins. Interspersed with the sleek adults, and depending on the season, you may well also see the fluffy grey juvenile penguins who are yet to acquire their waterproof adult plumage. You’ll also possibly see molting adults, which are restricted to shore while they shed their old plumage and grow a new waterproof coat.
Noisy neighbors
African penguins were formerly known as ‘jackass penguins’ due to their braying calls, which could be mistaken for a donkey. Boulders Beach is unique in that it is the only breeding colony on the African mainland. All the other breeding colonies are on islands off the coasts of South Africa and Namibia, which makes Boulders Beach easily the most accessible place to see them. Look out too for the small igloo-shaped houses that have been built to provide shelters for them (naturally they would dig their own tunnels in the sand).
This conservation initiative provides a hint as to the current status of the African penguins. Unfortunately, there’s no way to sugarcoat this – as a population, these animals are in real trouble.
Penguins in peril
As you watch them waddle along the beach or jump into the ocean, you could be forgiven for thinking that these birds are living their best lives. Unfortunately, that’s not the case – they face multiple threats and their numbers are plummeting.
In fact, it has been estimated that if current trends continue, African penguins could well be extinct in the wild within the next few years. So why is this? Warmer oceans mean a reduction in numbers of the fish they feed on (especially sardines and anchovies). These species are also important to humans and overfishing is contributing to making them much harder to find. Ocean plastic can choke and/or entangle them so they can’t swim or walk easily.
Oil spills in recent years have also made life harder for African penguins and taking all these factors into account, it is perhaps no wonder that they are becoming scarcer.
A glimmer of hope
African penguins are an iconic species, and nobody wants to see them disappear. A number of conservation groups including SANCCOB and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust are working hard to safeguard penguins.
For a superb Cape Town itinerary that includes meeting the cute creatures of Boulders Beach, have a look at our Cape Escape Itinerary or contact us.
