UNDER SPOTLIGHT:
The South African coast is home to one of these endangered species – the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). Together with members of the equally endangered northern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi) species, these precious birds invite you to help create awareness about their plight during Penguin Week at the Two Oceans Aquarium.
All face threat of melting sea ice, poaching, habitat loss and overfishing
ALL African penguins have a unique spot pattern on their bellies. This is one of the interesting facts about these flightless birds – with a knack for gliding gracefully through the ocean and waddling awkwardly on land – that the Two Oceans Aquarium will highlight during Penguin Week.
Until April 29, the aquarium halls will be jam-packed with penguin-themed family fun in celebration of the seabird.
The southern hemisphere is home to many types of penguin. All are facing man-made threats – from melting sea ice and habitat loss to poaching and overfishing of their food.
Some penguin species are a hair’s breadth from extinction, some have a little more time.
The South African coast is home the endangered African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) and the equally endangered northern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi)
Visitors will be able to meet rockhopper penguin power pair Roxy and Grommet, with their two daughters, Clax and Miss Harold Custard, and young son Chippy-Goodwill.
Grommet was rescued at Kleinbaai, near Hermanus in February 2000.
After being rehabilitated at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) for a few months.
Grommet was handed over to his new home, the Two Oceans Aquarium, in June 2000. He is known to be fiercely protective of Roxy, and regularly gets into scuffles with all the other penguins.
Roxy arrived at the Aquarium in 2003, another rescue handed by Sanccob. She was caught as by-catch by a fishing vessel.
Roxy was handed to Sanccob tangled in fishing wire and, because of these injuries, has a permanent notch near the tip of her left flipper.
She is very graceful, and is always eager to follow Grommet around the beach, except when she has a chance to sunbathe.
Although usually docile, she will push other penguins out of the way to get to her favourite snack – prawns, the aquarium said.
The I&J Children’s Play Centre will have ongoing penguin-themed arts and crafts throughout the week.
Visitors can find the Creature Feature trolley somewhere in the aquarium every day to chat one-on-one with an aquarium environmentalist or volunteer about the impact that plastic pollution is having on coastal animals – and find a different pollution solution every day.
Follow the rockhopper penguins on their daily waddle at 2pm from the outside enclosure where they get their morning exercise up to their indoor beach.
Feeding time at the Penguin Exhibit is at 11:30am and 2:30pm. Visit https://www. aquarium.co.za/