Pictures of a Penguin Release

There are two birds to a box and boxes are separated into adults and juveniles

Each bird receives a pink spot of paint that should last up to a year so that they can be tracked after they are released

While waiting for the ferry, I channeled a little bit of my experience at NEAq to talk to people about what we were doing and answer questions about SANCCOB

Since the Soccer World Cup, national spirit has been displayed with South African flags on everything that moves, including cars and boats

Taking the ferry out of Cape Town "Harbour"

Our ferry was also a whale watch boat so we got to go on a whale watch before reaching the release site

 

 

A few of the birds were curious about their new environment

 

This picture and many like it have become a popular symbol for SANCCOB

I volunteered to actually release the birds as none of the other volunteers wanted to climb down and stand barefoot at the edge of the boat. Thinking back it probably could have been a bit dangerous but I was too excited to think about it, I just jumped right over!

The juveniles were released after the adults in hopes that the group would stay together. Many of the juveniles were brought to SANCCOB as chicks, some only days or weeks old. This would be the first time they would swim in the ocean.

Almost all of the released birds grouped together except a few experienced adults, making it a safe and successful release for the younger birds and giving them a very good chance of joining a larger group of birds and finding a place on land to live. What an incredible experience to be a part of!