Boulders Beach
Penguin Colony
South Africa
2016

The African penguin, also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_penguin


BOULDERS BEACH PENGUINS: A REMARKABLE WILDLIFE ENCOUNTER

https://www.capetown.travel/get-to-know-the-african-penguins-at-boulders-beach/

Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town has a lot going for it: the ancient granite boulders protect it from the wind and large waves, making it an ideal swimming spot for kids. The beach is always clean and safe, because it falls under the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area. It is rarely crowded, and kids will be delighted by the stunning rockpools.

But the soft white sand and warm(ish) waters are not the only reasons why 60 000 visitors a year make their way along the coast, past Simon’s Town, to Boulders Beach. The local inhabitants – African penguins in their thousands – know how to pull the crowds.

The Penguin Colony
African Penguins used to be known as jackass penguins because of their distinctive braying, and they’re the only penguins found on the continent. Colonies can be found from southern Namibia all the way around the South African coast to Port Elizabeth, but few places offer as remarkable a viewing point as Boulders Beach.


Conservation
The penguins first came to False Bay in 1983 from Dyer Island, which is near Gansbaai. Back then, there was plenty for them to eat and the colony grew rapidly. Sadly, commercial fishing, marine pollution, and habitat destruction have taken their toll on the colony. In 1910, it was estimated that there were approximately one-and-a-half million African Penguins; a century later, the aquatic bird was classified as an endangered species. By 1982 there were only two breeding pairs remaining. Incredible conservation efforts have grown the Boulders colony to over 3,000 birds in recent years.