Spotlighting World Penguin Day
NEW ENTRANTS for the Miss Earth SA 2017 leadership programme for the Cape Town region attended a workshop and tour of the Two Oceans Aquarium to celebrate World Penguin Day.
World Penguin Day is used to draw attention to the plight of the endangered animals, and also to celebrate some of the quirks and behaviours of penguins.
It is celebrated on April 25 each year, because this is roughly the date of their annual northward migration.
The Two Oceans Aquarium is home to the African penguin and northern rock-hopper penguin, both of which are endangered species.
The visit by the Miss Earth SA entrants focused on the value of our oceans and a call for greater consciousness surrounding ocean and marine-related issues.
“Miss Earth SA has a Waste Stops With Me theme, and today we introduced the entrants to our penguins, explaining that what we do affects the penguins and why it was important to look after them,” said Renee Leeuwner, the spokesperson for the Two Oceans Aquarium.
“We took them on a tour and showed them our environmental campaign, which highlighted how humans impact the ocean and environment.
“The African penguin is the only penguin species on the continent, and their numbers have declined dramatically.
“Egg collections, oils spills and climate change have impacted on their numbers, but it is also food scarcity for the penguins, which is another factor that relates directly back to us,” Leeuwner explained.
“We are often in competition with penguins for the little fish, which we use to feed our poultry, so in doing so we are taking out the fish that they need to end to eat.
“The penguins species have a direct effect on the ecosystem. There are 17 penguins species in the world, and some species are critically endangered.”