Four beautiful penguins were released back into the wild on Saturday 10th September from Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay after being successfully rehabilitated at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation & Awareness Centre in Plettenberg Bay.
A crowd of around 700 people was present to witness the four seabirds return to the wild.
Each of the penguins came to the rehab centre after being found in various locations on the Garden Route suffering from injuries or parasite infestation.
Penguin 22/070 – Nickname : Runner
This juvenile penguin was admitted on 8th July 2022 from Natures Valley, weighing 2.26kg with no babesia/injuries but a heavy presence of internal parasites.
He is nicknamed Runner, because he is always first to run across to get his fish. He is definitely the dominant one out of the three. He has reached release weight after being fed 2 fish in the morning and 1 at night.
He has a beautiful pattern of spots on his tummy.
Penguin 22/073 – Nickname Greenie
This juvenile penguin was admitted on 18th July 2022 from Beacon Isle beach in Plett, weighing 2.18kg with no babesia/injuires but also a heavy presence of internal parasites. He is nicknamed Greenie because on arrival, we put a green tag on him to identify him from the other penguins. Greenie always made sure he kept up with Runner in terms of getting to the fish, and he was not shy to gobble up someone else’s fish if they drop it. He currently weighs 3kg
Penguin 22/079 – Nickname Redman
This juvenile penguin was admitted on 31 July 2022 and was found in Plettenberg Bay. He was in a very poor condition and very cold after heavy seas and bad weather. His weight on arrival was 2.08kg. Redman is definitely the baby of the three in terms of personality, but he loves to swim and is always in the water, diving and snorkelling. He is just on release weight at 2.84kg.
Penguin – Elvis Blue
He came from Buffelsbay in a very poor condition. He had a very bad foot injury which is healing nicely, and an ulcer & eye penetration injury which is coming along although it is doubtful whether he will regain 100% sight in that eye.
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HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Rehabilitation of penguins is costly. You can help by donating towards these costs at https://bit.ly/tenikwa.
Or you can contribute to the feeding fund by making an EFT to:
Bank: FNB
Branch code: 210514
Account number: 53375052909
Ref: TEN002
