The African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) opened its doors in February 2015, a vision that took flight from the pages of Wilfred Chivell’s little black notebook. As the founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, he dreamt of a facility that could rehabilitate endangered seabirds. What began as a drawing of single container with a porta pool grew into the custom build African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary.
This evolution was made possible by a community of passionate penguin people who united in a shared mission—to save the African penguin from extinction. Their goal extended beyond rehabilitation; they sought to educate visitors and inspire conservation action to protect this endangered species.
A decade of feathers:
Over the past decade, APSS has rehabilitated and released:
1 205 African penguins, 436 adults and 769 fledglings.
In conservation terms, success cannot only be measured in terms of the number of penguins released after rehabilitation. True success is reflected in population growth. Our hope is not only for the adults we release to become parents but grandparents and for the fledglings to become parents.
Protecting Adult Penguins: A Conservation Triumph
The 436 rehabilitated adult African penguins account for 21.8% of Dyer Island’s current breeding population—a powerful testament to the impact of our conservation efforts. Based on current survival rates, if half of these adults pair up and breed, their contribution to the population amounts to an estimated 399 fledglings. Of these, only 56 will survive to reach breeding age. While these numbers may seem discouraging, they reflect the harsh reality of present conditions—an urgent reminder of the need for proactive conservation action. Releasing rehabilitated adult African penguins is a critical conservation achievement.
Raising the Future: The Role of Fledglings
The 769 fledglings raised and released by APSS could potentially add 108 breeding adults to the Dyer Island colony. Rescuing and hand-rearing compromised chicks is a vital yet costly and labour-intensive conservation intervention. Unlike adults, fledglings take time to integrate into breeding populations. The young birds take between four to six years to return to a colony to find a suitable breeding partner.
“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing, there will be no result”. Mahatma Ghandi
Prevention is better than cure
Rehabilitation is crucial but it’s only a band-aid on a bleeding artery. Prevention is always better than cure.
To ultimately protect African penguins, we are investing in proactive conservation measures that prioritise habitat restoration and long-term efforts to support successful breeding and reproduction.
- Installing artificial penguin nests has proven to be an effective strategy, significantly improving breeding success in certain colonies by providing safe and sheltered nesting sites.
- Deploying a specialist seabird ranger on Dyer Island supports CapeNature in monitoring penguins closely, identifying threats early, and acting swiftly.
Ubuntu, it takes a community
We will continue to work alongside CapeNature, the management authority for Dyer Island to support their efforts to preserve not only the African penguin but the amazing biodiversity of this very special area.
The APSS would not be able to care for penguins if we did not have a platoon of passionate penguin people. We have a small, dedicated staff and a team of exceptional penguin volunteers.
Project partners like Marine Dynamics that provide valuable education opportunities and the best penguin taxi service imaginable. All weaved together into a strong penguin support network.
We salute the contributions made to our cause by so many people, from big corporate donors to a child with a piggy bank full of money. Together we made a difference.
Every penguin rehabilitated and released is a step toward stabilising and rebuilding the African penguin population. With continued dedication, collaboration, and conservation efforts, we remain steadfast in our mission: to re-build the African penguin population
Disappearing Lines
The African penguin population is disappearing from the Southern Africa seascape. The situation on Dyer Island is particularly alarming. Once home to an estimated 25,000 breeding pairs, the island’s population has plummeted to fewer than 1,000 breeding pairs by 2023. As a flagship project of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, the APSS remains committed to reversing this decline and rebuilding the African penguin population on Dyer Island. Every rescued, rehabilitated, and released penguin makes a crucial contribution to the survival of the species. Now, more than ever, #EveryPenguinCounts.
