African Penguins - Inhabitants of Dyer Island in the Struggle for Survival (00000614)
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Description: The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) and other rare seabirds breed on Dyer Island, six sea miles off the coast of Gansbaai/South Africa. The ruins of a former guano station are still present. After the guano supplies were depleted, seal beaters and penguin hunters came to the island. Until the end of the last century, penguins were hunted for their oil. The African Penguin population in South Africa decreased by over 50% between 1956 and 1978, partly due to overfishing in their feeding grounds. African Penguins are listed as an endangered species in the Washington Endangered Species Act. Dyer Island and its fauna are now completely protected. Only a conservationist and occasionally a biologist live on the island.
Location: Western Cape, Dyer Island, South Africa
Date of Capture: 12.05.2000