Even if you’ve never met a penguin in the wild, they’re an instantly recognisable sight. However, despite their cultural impact (from chocolate bars to Batman villains), not everyone is aware of the challenges that the world’s penguins face.

That’s what World Penguin Day is all about – so put any plans you have for Tuesday, April 25th on ice and spend the day learning more about these amazing birds and how we can help protect them.

Emperor penguins especially are renowned for the way they care for their young – and for the very ‘modern’ approach the males have to fatherhood. This includes sheltering the eggs and then the chicks on their feet (to keep them off the ice), as well as trekking vast distances across the ice to collect food for the chicks.

Penguins are also rather stylish creatures, with their black and white ‘outfits’. Some species also have eye-catching orange and yellow crests and ‘eyebrows’. These factors add up to making penguins beloved around the world – even in places where they aren’t found.

From The Silo Hotel or La Residence, a visit to Simons Town makes a very worthwhile excursion. A highlight is a visit to Boulders Beach or Dyer Island to see the most northerly penguin colony on Earth. These penguins are quite used to people, and they are also special in another way – they are one of the main species protected by the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). SANCCOB is a non-profit organisation that works rescues, rehabilitates, and releases penguins and other seabirds that have been affected by pollution, disease or extreme weather events.
At the SANCCOB rehabilitation centre in Cape Town, sick and injured penguins are cared for with the aim of eventually returning them to the wild. SANCCOB collects and hatches abandoned penguin eggs and conducts penguin research and conservation initiatives.