African Penguins Spheniscus demersus
Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town, Cape Peninsula
05 September 2006

A straightforward 40 minute drive from either central Cape Town (follow signs to the M4) or Somerset West (the scenic coastal-route following the R310/Baden Powell highway joins the M4 by Muizenberg and is good for excellent views across False Bay and an option to stop off at Strandfontein Sewage Works), the African Penguin colony at Boulders is a hugely popular tourist destination.

As a ‘wildlife spectacular’ the Boulders African Penguin Colony - to be honest - a little ‘un-spectacular’ - but you can’t blame the penguins for that. Once abundant along the South African coast the African Penguin - a Red Data species listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife International - has been devestated by food shortages (resulting from large catches of fish by commercial purse-seine fisheries) and has additionally been driven out of beach nesting sites everywhere: firstly by theft of eggs and their use as a food supply by human colonisers, and more recently by more human colonisers building houses with sea-views and bringing in their cats and dogs.

This Reserve - part of the Table Mountain National Park - is now the most accessible site anywhere in southern Africa to see them. Without the fencing and barriers the colony would undoubtedly be a lot less successful than it is now. Access is strictly controlled, the penguins are monitored, and there is information and conservation messages everywhere, including a video shown in the Boulders Office which details the life-history and life-cycle of these enigmatic birds.

As the photos show, there were plenty of juveniles at various stages of development in the colony when I visited. A good thing too - from an estimated 1.5 million pairs in 1910 the world population was literally decimated, and the species needs every individual possible to survive. The Boulders colony has grown from just two pairs in the 1980’s to about 300 pairs now - highly encouraging, but can the species live with everything we throw at it? It’s still in the balance…African Penguins now inhabit just twenty-seven sites. Most are on inshore islands, of which the best known is Robben Island, and there are now only three mainland breeding sites - which makes the ‘tourist dollars’ spent on the entrance fee (currently just 20Rand/2GBP/4USD) and in the gift shops here increasingly important…

All photos copyright Charlie Moores