Biggest waddle to save African penguins

The biggest worldwide waddle on 14 October to highlight the looming extinction of African penguins is going to span the globe, with #NotOnOurWatch events planned in countries from the USA to France, South Africa, Mozambique and Japan.

All of South Africa’s major cities are hosting big waddles for International African Penguin Awareness Day. The Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town will be waddling at the V&A Waterfront and has helped to arrange a waddle, in association with Marine Dynamics and I Am Water, from Simon’s Town to Boulders Beach – the home of about 9% of the African penguin population.

uShaka Sea World is going large in Durban with the Point parkrun, face-painting for the kids and big-screen videos.

The Johannesburg Zoo and the Penguin Protection Parade at Emmarentia Dam have South Africa’s largest city covered, while Sanccob is waddling in Gqeberha and the National Zoological Garden in Pretoria will be awarding prizes and giving penguin talks during its zoo-based waddle.

“The support has been tremendous and heart-warming,” says Dr Judy Mann, a founder of the #NotOnOurWatch African penguin survival campaign.

The #NotOnOurWatch campaign is barely a year old. It was conceptualised by scientists and conservationists to raise awareness and encourage the South African government to enact laws and protections to safeguard against endemic African penguins from going extinct.

Their numbers have dropped 99% in 100 years. The importance of this movement has been recognised by Unesco and the 14 October waddles have been endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a decade activity.