South Africa, soon penguin penguins?

In South Africa, penguins have taken over a beach in Cape Town. The attraction attracts tourists from all over the world every year. Unfortunately, for a century, their species has continued to decline. The fault is due to climate change and an old culinary tradition.

-By Margaux Solinas in Cape Town (South Africa).

 At Boulders Beach, a beach in the Cape region of South Africa, penguins drag their paws gently and awkwardly. White sand, a cold and rough sea, the colony looks like a postcard. It is isolated from the nearest town, Simon's Town, and offers a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean crashing into the surrounding rocks. A wooden footbridge flies over the habitat of these seabirds, where tourists of all nationalities revel in the view.

The Spheniscus Demersus, of its Latin name, is part of a very specific line of birds: the spheniscids. According to the Universalis encyclopedia, these are the only birds “Living in the cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere.” Small in size, they are dressed in a black and white dress in accordance with their species. Each year, they lose their ability to enter water for 21 days, during their moult, during which new feathers appear. They feed mainly on schools of sardines and anchovies. Today, they are the last representatives of the southern African penguins, which live in a warm area of ​​the planet.

But these little beings, who so fascinate visitors to the region, are seriously threatened. Their population has fallen by 90% in just a century, according to official figures from the South African ministry. Unlike the seventeen other types living on the rest of the Earth, the Cape seabird has failed to adapt to global warming and other ecological traps. " In its simplest form, the ecological trap is low-quality habitat where species do not survive. However, some living organisms prefer, for their own reasons, this environment to other places with better attributes ”, explains zoologist Richard Sherley of the Department of Environment and Sustainable Development at the University of Exeter in England. The "ecological traps" therefore lock them in a habitat unsuitable for their survival and their mode of functioning.

Spheniscus Demersu, faithful penguin

Classified among the endangered species on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the African penguin is the victim of a vicious circle. It makes you wonder how a species so popular with tourists can have come to grow from 32 individuals to 000 in a century, according to figures from the South African government. This family of penguins is not, however, the target of poaching.

Its rather particular mode of reproduction does not allow it to multiply over a short period. The African penguin is monogamous. He keeps his companion (or his companion) for life. In other words, the southern bird does not change partners until its death. Far from having adapted to the tormented romantic standards of the XXIst century, its population cannot stop the process of extinction which pursues these small animals of South Africa. But their mode of mating is not the major cause of the decline.

Man, between turmoil and manna of money

Around 60 tourists a year walk the boards along the sea. Smartphones in hand, ready for selfies, with the stunned and curious penguins' beaks behind the shop, these visitors create a constant back and forth in the area. sanctuary. If the paying entry, 000 Rand, or around 55 euros, contributes to the research and preservation of seabirds, the presence of humans constitutes a real paradox. Because the main reason for the extinction of the southern species comes from humans.

“The lack of fish is one of the major problems of the African penguin, due to the oil spillage from the boats in the sea and the overfishing present on the coasts”says Richard Sherley, the zoologist. Industrial fishing is one of the most important factors in these environmental lures. Nevertheless, some South Africans have become aware of the danger of Cape Penguins disappearing. “Their environment is increasingly threatened as human development encroaches on their habitat and current temperatures rise”, says David Viljoen, a PhD student at the University of Cape Town in sustainable development. This is why they are now protected by the Department of Environmental Affairs of the South African government and why the birds of Cape Town have become a tourist attraction, therefore profitable and collective interest.

“Nowadays, the greatest danger that threatens them is interference with humans” explains Louise Gadney, ranger for the South Cape National Reserve, Sanwood, in charge of the territory of Boulders Beach. Dressed in a khaki uniform and a black jacket, this young woman patrols around the tourist beach. Every day, she tries to clean up the waste thrown by travelers, while checking that no penguins are suffering from ailments. Despite the efforts of rangers and scientists, cheeky tourists still find a way to come and physically interact with the animals.

Walking on eggshells ...

About 1967 years ago, penguin eggs were highly prized by the South African people. Their collection has been prohibited since XNUMX. This food replaced the expensive ostrich eggs and changed those of the hens. A feast for the taste buds, of course, but a promise of death for seabirds. The culinary tradition has since evolved. For the people of Cape Town, eating Spheniscus demersus eggs no longer makes sense. “Their offspring should never have been the target of our grandparents”, exclaims Garron Karamitas, a citizen of Cape Town. The man is an "Afrikaans", descendant of the Dutch colonies settled for centuries in South Africa. Its carcass is close to the meter 90.“African penguins are such gentle and harmless creatures, it shouldn't have happened”. This egg hunt began in the 1980s. At the time, the locals did not know that such a practice would then decimate the species. “The fact that previous generations only ate the eggs shows that they didn't think the colonies would collapse.” testifies David Viljoen. Every evening the rangers patrols watch that egg hunting does not become a habit again.

Residents of the region of South Africa, where penguins congregate throughout the year, seem more concerned with the extinction of their national species. “It's really disappointing that there is only one colony left in South Africa!” Garron Karamitas is indignant. "The measures applied for twenty years, such as respect for their habitat or reasonable distances from humans, should be more numerous so that this unique colony does not disappear from our country.", emphasizes the Capetonian.

David Viljoen agrees with Garron Karamitas, who is also worried about the future of the southern bird.  “It is essential that they continue to reproduce. It is very important that the eggs are protected by the government with the help of environmental associations. ” Their young in the hot, the spheniscus demersus must also be relocated. Their habitat no longer meets their needs. To repopulate the coasts, the colony must find other beaches where the fish are more in abundance.

Bad beach

Cape penguins made Boulder Beach and Stony Point (located between Cape Town and Hermanus) their nest. "It is a decision of the species and not forced by the man", specifies the ranger Louise Gadney. The territory that serves as a refuge for this species is not its first natural habitat. Their colony was observed for the first time at this place in 1983. Since this beach is entirely occupied by this one. Scientists have built small plastic niches there that form shelters for seabirds. Initially, the spheniscus demersus had found the ideal environment, until the first signs of lack of food observed in the 2000s.

Today, they can no longer maintain themselves there on their own. Protected, defended, but not (yet) nourished by the environmentalists and zoologists of South Africa, their demography has still not progressed positively. "Their survival rate drops", explains a study conducted by the University of Exeter and Cape Town, dating from February 2017. “Young penguins look for places where the sea offers low temperatures and high levels of chlorophylls” can we read, “which means that they are looking for a strong presence of plankton and fish that feed ”. But man-made events such as industrial fishing, but also global warming (which the Earth is undergoing), thus prevent the seabird from rebuilding its nest in a stable place. Cape Town's sea currents no longer seem suitable. Yet environmentalists have not said their last word.

The games are not made

All is not lost for the cousins ​​of the penguins. David Viljoen confirms that South Africans still have hopes of seeing the spheniscus demersus reborn from its ashes, like the phoenix. “It is important to observe whether the protection will continue and what side man will take in the next few years towards his environment.” He says.  “As a single colony there is less competition for resources for the Cape penguins. This should be enough to create a balance which will revive, albeit a small one, a new population of Cape penguins. ”

Everything is being done to try to save a “stable” colony, according to ranger Louise Gadney. For now, there is no ideal solution for the species, but scientists too are hopeful. “We are working with the South African government to try to conserve the sardines and anchovies swimming in the waters near Boulders Beach and Stony Point.” says Richard Sherley, his eyes confident. The beach is already part of a nature reserve, and fishing is strictly prohibited there. Scientists want to extend this protection to the surrounding area and they are not alone: ​​many conservation initiatives, such as marine protected areas, are also supported by the government. The next step will be to create new settlements in the Western Cape, “In a rich habitat” confirms the scientist. “We are optimistic about the situation, the decline can be stopped, even reversed, if man respects his environment”.