Checking for sharks

Watching the penguins in the pool enclosure at SAMREC (South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre) at Cape Recife can be very interesting and often makes for great photos. This youngster was sitting in the sun on the rocks and decided to dive into the water. As he got to the edge of the rock he leaned … Continue reading Checking for sharks →

SAMREC educational visits

In addition to the fantastic penguin rescue and rehabilitation work that the guys at SAMREC in Cape Recife do, they also have educational programmes running all the time whereby schools visit and get taken around the facility. What makes the place even more amazing is that they only have two full time employees which means that the … Continue reading SAMREC educational visits →

Penguin nurses

A couple of the staff at the South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre (SAMREC) busy treating one of the penguins in their care. This little guy had a bad wound on his wing and they were unsure how he got it. Doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that he is in good hands and … Continue reading Penguin nurses →

Penguin crossing

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Why did the penguin cross the road? The chicken was having the day off.Zebras (and humans) make use of a zebra crossing to get to the other side of the road, but the penguin would have made use of the penguin crossing … Continue reading Penguin crossing →

African Penguins

One of the main reasons SAMREC was established is the close proximity to the African Penguin breeding colony on St Croix Island. The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), formerly known as the Jackass Penguin due to the fact that they bray like a donkey, is found on the south-western coast of Africa living in colonies on 24 … Continue reading African Penguins →

Penguin ICU

SAMREC has a dedicated ICU area set up at their facility at Cape Recife to handle any badly injured or ill penguins that are brought in. On my visit there were no birds in the ICU Unit and if there were any I wouldn't have been allowed in.

SAMREC Penguin Release

A couple of weeks ago I was very fortunate to be at a SAMREC penguin release at Hobie Beach here in Port Elizabeth. The South African Rehabilitation and Education Centre (SAMREC) is based at Cape Recife and their main aim is to save and rehabilitate the endangered African Penguins which are found on the islands in Algoa Bay. Once the … Continue reading SAMREC Penguin Release →