Since Tuesday, 12 January 2021, SANCCOB’s Cape Town centre in Table View has admitted 1,647 Cape cormorant chicks, rescued from Robben Island after being abandoned by their parents. A robust rescue operation was executed by Robben Island Museum (RIM), SANCCOB, Two Oceans Aquarium and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) to retrieve and safely transport the chicks to SANCCOB’s seabird hospital.

This operation is the second largest seabird rescue in the Western Cape since the MV Treasure oil spill in 2000, and our staff and volunteers at SANCCOB are working round the clock to hydrate, feed and care for the chicks.

Visit our WISH LIST HERE to see items that members of the public can assist with.

SANCCOB’s research department suspects that the lack of food could be the main reason for the abandonment and investigations are still underway. “Cape cormorants feed mainly on anchovy (and to a smaller extent on sardines) and these small pelagic fish species are at very low levels at the moment. We are seeing dramatic population declines in all seabird species that rely on these fish species; the African penguin, the Cape gannet and Cape cormorant, are all listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and lack of sufficient food is the primary factor for the most recent declines observed,” explains Dr Katta Ludynia, SANCCOB’s Research Manager.

Please donate to help us cover the costs of this critical operation.

On admission to SANCCOB’s seabird hospital, each chick was weighed and hydrated to quickly stabilise the birds, and were then placed in designated pens according to weight.

Due to the hot weather over the last two days it was first suspected that adult birds flew further out to sea to cool down but this is not likely as they would have been seen rafting close to the Island and eventually return to their chicks when the temperature dropped but the adults did not come back.

Ludynia says, “Cape cormorants are summer breeders; their main breeding season is between October and December and they breed along the coast of South Africa and Namibia (into Angola), thus should be used to heat. There has been a recent Masters study on the behaviour of Cape cormorants and other cormorant species in heat and they did not observe abandonment at high temperatures comparable (or even higher) than what we had in recent days.”

SANCCOB and RIM’s Penguin and seabird ranger monitors the birds on the Island – amongst other duties – and immediately alerted Robben Island Museum’s Environmental Unit and SANCCOB when adult cormorants had not returned to their chicks.

“This is an unusual occurrence; an anomaly that both RIM and SANCCOB are studying and working towards understanding. Annually, 164 different bird species (including the endangered African Penguin) breed on the Island and this further emphasises the need for responsible tourism as a Marine Protected Area and World Heritage Site; and for the public to be environmentally conscious, ”says Mr Thabo Seshoka, Robben Island Museum’s Head of Heritage and Research.

We are focusing our resources on providing the veterinary and rehabilitative care necessary save every Cape cormorant chick until eventual release in two to three months, while simultaneously rehabilitating existing seabird patients.

Please consider assisting our organisation during this critical time. Volunteer support and monetary donations to purchase fish and medical supplies are most needed. To volunteer your time please call 076 682 5130 and to assist with funding email Ronnis Daniels at Ronnis@sanccob.co.za.

Follow our social media platforms for updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.