10 February 2026
Schalk’s journey began on 20 November 2025, when an African penguin in distress was rescued in Mossel Bay by an NSRI Station 15 volunteer. Weak and vulnerable, he was rushed to the SAPREC Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre in Mossel Bay, where it quickly became clear that this young penguin had arrived just in time.
Schalk was a juvenile in arrested moult and severely underweight — a dangerous combination that leaves penguins unable to regulate their body temperature or return to the ocean to feed. He was named after Schalk van Bosch, the NSRI volunteer who found him at the slipway. Seeing him sitting in a patch of sun, Schalk didn’t hesitate — he got into the water and rescued the little penguin. Hats off to you, Schalk, for refusing to walk away and choosing to give this penguin a second chance at life.
Under the expert care of the SAPREC team, Schalk received treatment for a flipper wound, antibiotic injections, tick treatment, and a preventative course of malaria medication. But more than medicine, he received something equally vital: patience, careful feeding, and constant dedication from Carol Walton, CEO of SAPREC.
a Very skinny Schalk on the day of being rescued.
Slowly, strength returned. With each feed and day of attentive rehabilitation, Schalk gained the weight he needed to resume moulting. As the new year dawned, his first black-and-white adult feathers began to emerge — a powerful milestone and a moment of celebration for everyone involved in his recovery.
Schalk’s transformation was remarkable. His energy returned, his appetite grew, and his enthusiasm for swimming left no doubt — this penguin was ready for the ocean again.
Healthy and strong and going into moult.
On 22 January, Schalk was carefully boxed and transported to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) in Gansbaai, the final stop before his return to the wild. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our penguin conservation partner, Carol from SAPREC, who drove all the way to Gansbaai to personally deliver little Schalk, ensuring his journey continued safely.
By Monday, 2 February, Schalk weighed a healthy 3.6 kg — strong, confident, and ready to brave the waters around Dyer Island. And perhaps, if fate is kind, to meet a lovely African penguin girl and begin a new chapter of his own.
Our sincere thanks go to SAPREC, Carol, and Schalk from the NSRI for your unwavering commitment to saving our critically endangered African penguins from extinction. Stories like Schalk’s remind us that every rescue matters — and that hope, when backed by action, can still swim free.
Christine Wessels
0661850869
