On Friday, 03 February 2017, delegates of The Blue Fund – a partnership between Grindrod Bank and Wildlands – joined the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) for the release 12 endangered African penguins at Stony Point in Betty’s Bay. The Blue Fund helped to raise significant funds for SANCCOB to help rescue and rehabilitate abandoned African penguin chicks during its annual penguin chick season.
Ever year from October to December, SANCCOB runs a penguin chick adoption programme to raise funds for the hundreds of abandoned African penguin chicks admitted to its centres in Table View (Western Cape) and Cape St. Francis (Eastern Cape). In 2016, The Blue Fund pledged to match all donations received through the adoption programme and thereby doubling the impact of the public’s support for SANCCOB. A total of 562 African penguin chicks were admitted to SANCCOB’s centres and the collective amount raised, inclusive of The Blue Fund’s contribution and donations received from local and international supporters, was over half a million Rand. Funds raised through the adoption programme are used towards fish, medical supplies and overall rehabilitation needs of the hundreds of penguin chicks rescued, hatched, hand-reared and rehabilitated by SANCCOB’s team of seabird specialists and volunteers each year.
As a non-profit organisation, whose primary objective is to reverse the decline of seabird populations, SANCCOB’s name has become synonymous with saving penguins. To date, SANCCOB has treated more than 95 000 seabirds and independent research confirms that SANCCOB’s oil spill response actions alone have increased the African penguin population by 19%.More than 4000 chicks have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild since the establishment of SANCCOB’s Chick Bolstering Project in 2006.
The Blue Fund’s contribution to SANCCOB’s conservation work stems from their commitment to conserve coastal marine ecosystems. Francois Louw, fundraising and marketing manager of SANCCOB, says, “Support from the public and organisations, like The Blue Fund, is crucial to SANCCOB’s work and enables us to put the resources in place that provide the best possible outcomes for the birds. We are very grateful to have partnered with The Blue Fund and thank the public for helping to make the programme such a huge success.”
“The opportunity to witness the successful outcome of the amazing work being done by SANCCOB is such a privilege,” said Mark Gerrard, Blue Fund manager for Wildlands. “It is unfortunate that intervention is required, however, in this case it is critical and SANCCOB does such a professional job,” he commented further.
“Grindrod Bank feels privileged to have played a role in such a heart-warming conservation project. It has been fantastic to witness the concerted effort by the team at SANCCOB, who are truly dedicated to the preservation of the African penguin and other magnificent seabirds,” said Sarah Freestone, marketing manager for Grindrod Bank.
SANCCOB’s penguin adoption programme is an ongoing initiative that provides the organisation with necessary funding to continue its vital work and encourages the public to play their part in helping to save the endangered African penguin species. Adoptions can be activated online at https://sanccob.co.za/adopt/ at R600 (for an email pack) or R700 (for a postal pack).
Initiatives such as this partnership between SANCCOB and The Blue Fund holds a good recipe for raising the funds needed to sustain SANCCOB’s seabird rescue and rehabilitation services. Keep an eye out for SANCCOB’s forthcoming campaign to build a new seabird hospital at its Cape Town centre in Table View. Visit www.sanccob.co.za for more information.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)