Sanctuary for birds, but not boys

Bird Island is about 50km from Port Elizabeth. It is home to about 200,000 gannets — the largest population in the world — and more than 5,000 endangered African penguins. The last permanent lighthouse keeper left Bird Island in 1968. The island has been declared a bird sanctuary and a marine protected area. A helicopter visits the island every few weeks taking technical staff across for maintenance of the lighthouse, which is now automated