African penguins after being released into the Atlantic Ocean following a 2009 oil spill off Cape Town. They were rehabilitated at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. (Photo: EPA / Nic Bothma)
By Kristin Engel | 27 Jan 2025
The source of an oil pollution incident which left 19 underweight African penguins oiled between Hout Bay and Kommetjie last week remains a mystery.
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The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob), officials from the City of Cape Town, and SANParks mobilised rescue teams last week to respond to the oiling of 19 penguins between Hout Bay and Kommetjie, with the source of the light-coloured oil still under investigation.
The incident, experts said, showed that oil spills continue to pose yet another threat to the survival of the critically endangered African penguin, a species already on the brink of collapse.
Of the 19 oiled penguins admitted at Sanccob to date, 12 were rescued on 22 January 2025 and a further seven have since been rescued. No other oiled seabirds or marine species have been reported or recovered.
African penguins after being released into the Atlantic Ocean following a 2009 oil spill off Cape Town. (Photo: EPA / Nic Bothma)
The joint rescue team had reported the oil-affected African penguins to the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre of the South African Maritime Safety Authority — the authority responsible for preventing, combating and responding to marine pollution incidents.
Monica Stassen, Sanccob’s preparedness and response manager, told Daily Maverick that the source and type of oil remained unknown and that no oil spill had been observed or reported.
Most of the penguins are underweight, which Stassen said indicated that they may have been contaminated for a few days and therefore unable to hunt for food.
“Some individuals are being treated for bacterial infections and in general, the penguins are suffering from stress, which is expected,” she said.
In a statement after the first rescues on 22 January, Sanccob said that the oil was light in colour and was not immediately visible on the feathers, but did have a distinct odour.
The source of the spill remains unknown and is being investigated by the pollution control section of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. Contaminated feather samples were sent to a laboratory to try to identify the type of oil.
Eddie Andrews, the City of Cape Town Deputy Mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and the environment, told Daily Maverick that the impact of the spill was still undetermined as it had most likely dispersed very quickly offshore.
Treating oiled seabirds
A volunteer uses a toothbrush to wash an oiled African penguin at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds in Cape Town in 2006. (Photo: EPA / Nic Bothma)
After the penguins were rescued last week, they were given a few days to stabilise and recover from the stress of being rescued, were receiving fluid therapy and were being kept by Sanccob in a quiet space.
On Monday, 27 January, all the rescued penguins underwent a health check to determine whether they met the criteria to be washed later this week at Sanccob.
Stassen said that the washing process was highly stressful for the birds and typically happened a few days after they were admitted. Each bird is set to undergo another health check to ensure they are strong enough for the wash, as there are specific health criteria the penguins need to meet.
“The washing process removes the oil from the feathers. To effectively remove the oil, oiled birds need to be washed in hot water with soap. This helps break the oil down. The birds are then thoroughly rinsed with warm water to ensure all the soap is removed,” Stassen said.
Once washed and rinsed, the birds need to regain their waterproofing – Stassen said that this was done by swimming the penguins, which encourages the birds to preen their feathers.
“The act of preening helps realign the feathers and redistribute natural oils. The birds are regularly assessed and will only be released once they are completely waterproof and meet all other pre-release criteria. The process of washing, rinsing and rehabilitation requires experienced and trained personnel,” she said.
A badly oiled African penguin is washed by South African volunteers at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds in Cape Town in 2006. (Photo: EPA / Nic Bothma)
After the penguins meet the pre-release criteria, they will have microchip transponders fitted before being released. The microchip number can be detected by ground readers installed in the colonies, or hand-held readers.
Stassen said that each microchip had a unique number linked to the medical profile of each bird created on admission – this allowed the health and survival rates of affected penguins to be monitored, especially after pollution incidents like this.
Sanccob said that “this incident is a reminder that oil pollution remains a threat to the critically endangered African penguin and other marine species. Maintaining preparedness to respond 24/7/365 is critical to ensure the survival of affected animals.”
Previous major oil spills affecting seabirds in South Africa
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There have been 16 oil spill incidents to which Sanccob has responded in the past five years. Of those, six had a documented wildlife impact where oiled seabirds were rescued, rehabilitated and released.
Stassen cautioned that non-recovery of seabirds did not mean no seabirds had been oiled – they could become oiled and still fly or swim great distances; they could die out at sea or in remote areas where monitoring was limited.
“What has become evident over the years is that preparedness for oil spills continues to be necessary. Even if the number of oil spills globally has decreased, South Africa is still being impacted by oil spills,” Stassen said.
Sanccob’s mandate under the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan is to respond and rescue seabirds that have been oiled.
Asked what measures or policies Sanccob would recommend to reduce oil pollution risks to marine life, Stassen said they included:
- Improved pollution surveillance capabilities along South Africa’s coastline to ensure oil spills were detected and responded to timeously;
- The creation of a dedicated fund within the government for responding to marine pollution incidents, particularly mystery incidents where there was no responsible party to claim from;
- Inclusion of oiled wildlife contingency plans in permit conditions for any marine-based activity that had the potential to cause an oil spill; and
- The ending of ship-to-ship bunkering (STS bunkering) in Algoa Bay.
African penguins are already critically endangered and on track to be extinct in the wild by 2035, losing the battle against threats of commercial overfishing and habitat loss, making oil pollution and oil spills yet another significant threat.
However, Stassen said that thanks to years of hard work to improve preparedness and response, considerable progress had been made to reduce this impact with studies showing that African penguins that were oiled, decontaminated and released went on to successfully breed in the wild. DM