Rangers at Table Mountain National Park removed 19 African penguin chicks from the Boulders Beach colony during the recent Western Cape heatwave after extreme temperatures threatened their survival.
The intervention took place during early patrols by the park’s marine unit rangers together with the City of Cape Town’s penguin rangers.
Seventeen of the rescued chicks were newly hatched.
The birds were transferred to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), where they will be cared for until they complete their first moult before being released back into the colony once deemed healthy.
SANParks said the intervention was aimed at preventing heat stress and abandonment during the extreme weather conditions.
“The African penguin is critically endangered, and every individual matters,” SANParks said in a statement.
“These proactive interventions are essential to give each chick the best possible chance of survival during extreme weather conditions.”
The African penguin population has declined sharply over the past century, with fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs remaining worldwide, according to conservation estimates.
Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town is one of the country’s best-known mainland breeding colonies for the species and a major attraction within Table Mountain National Park.
The intervention comes as the South African Weather Service confirmed that Cape Point recorded a temperature of 40°C on March 11, the highest temperature recorded at the station.
Several weather stations across the Western Cape also recorded their highest March temperatures in at least 11 years as the heatwave affected parts of the province.
Forecasters said the extreme heat was linked to a strong, slow-moving high-pressure system in the upper atmosphere that resulted in unusually hot conditions.
Authorities have urged visitors to the Boulders penguin colony to keep a safe distance from the birds and follow guidelines aimed at protecting the animals during periods of extreme heat.
Murray Swart
iol.co.za