penguins breeding AT DE HOOP

Seven years after work began to re-establish an African Penguin breeding colony at De Hoop Nature Reserve, a pair of chicks has been observed at a nest at the colony.

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They were discovered during a routine visit and were seen sitting outside the nest with one of their parents. Estimated at about two months old, they would probably take another few weeks to fledge.

BirdLife South Africa and project partners CapeNature and SANCCOB have been working to re-establish a penguin colony in the nature reserve at a site where penguins attempted to breed between 2003 and 2008. Predation by caracal resulted in the birds abandoning the colony. In 2015, BirdLife South Africa began investigating whether another colony could be set up there. Three years later, a predator- proof fence was constructed and decoys of African Penguins and a speaker playing the birds’ calls were installed.