Found a bird? Contact our 24-hour Seabird Rescue Centre
or adopt an egg or chick
undergoing rehabilitation
for release back into the wild
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VOLUNTEER
Being equipped and ready to respond to an emergency situation concerning marine wildlife is not just about being prepared for an oil spill. An emergency rescue requiring our expertise in seabird rehabilitation can result from any disaster that strikes at a moment’s notice. With you as our partners, we have always been ready to step up and step in.
Fortunately, there were no oil spill events in 2018 yet we still admitted 86 Kelp gulls oiled by fish oil. We have also recently shared updates about the admission of hundreds of Lesser flamingo chicks rescued from Kamfers Dam in the Northern Cape. Both these incidents required our intervention to save and conserve wildlife and you can continue to help with our preparedness if you donate online today.
Your support during those months ensured that we maintained our excellent standard of rehabilitation. Releasing the birds back to the wild where they belong were proud moments, after months of round the clock care by staff and volunteers from all over the world. Together, we saved lives! As a non-profit organisation, entirely reliant on donations to carry out our work, we hope that we can still count on your commitment to our cause. With resources utilised for recent disasters, we now need to replenish our inventory to have the necessary items on hand for future emergency response.
Please consider making a donation towards the purchase of items such as protective gloves and clothing, capture nets, wash tubs, portable pools, infra-red heat lamps and portable heaters, eye ointment, electrolyte solution, syringes, fish and vitamin supplements.
You will enable our team of staff and volunteers to act as quickly as possible when disaster strikes.
Having emergency preparedness supplies enable us to respond immediately if a disaster strikes along the South African coast. From large-scale catastrophes to local emergencies, our network of specialised staff and trained volunteers can be mobilised in a short space of time to anywhere in southern Africa. Being equipped with emergency kits that are ready for deployment is crucial and we are fortunate to have equipment stored at various places in key locations. Remember the record-breaking rescue operation to save thousands of African penguins in 2000 after an oil spill from the bulk carrier Treasure? It was the world’s largest volunteer animal rescue, saving close to 40,000 penguins which had been oiled or in need of relocation to avoid being oiling. We were ready and able to undertake this because of supporters like you.
Please donate online today because urgent seabird medical attention cannot wait!
With fewer than 20,700 breeding pairs of African penguins left in the wild, and extremely low numbers of Cape cormorants, Bank cormorants and Cape gannets, let’s make the choice to be ready to save them – the survival of southern Africa’s seabirds is depending on it.
Whether you are locally based or across borders, we have volunteer programmes to suit your availability and offer an opportunity to make an impact as part of our team.
Visit our Volunteer Page for more information.
BE PART OF THE NEXT RESCUE
Last winter, caring supporters like you helped us save 30 oiled penguins and their 4 chicks from Bird and St Croix Islands.
The birds were taken to our seabird centre in Cape St Francis, where trained staff and volunteers washed, fed and cared for them for 4-6 weeks, while they regained their strength and the natural waterproofing of their feathers.
The chicks, which were less than three weeks old and weighed only 500 grams, were hand-reared at SANCCOB. All 34 birds were successfully released back into the wild.
WHAT WE DO
SANCCOB saves seabirds
RESCUE
SANCCOB provides a 24/7 rescue service for sick and injured seabirds and abandoned chicks. We respond to oil spill disasters along the South African coastline.
REHABILITATION
SANCCOB is recognised internationally as a leader in the field of seabird rehabilitation. We treat 2500 injured, sick and oiled seabirds annually.
CHICK REARING
Our specialist chick rearing unit saves African penguin eggs and chicks that have been abandoned, for subsequent release back into the wild.
EDUCATION
We offer various engaging lessons for children and adults, including tours of the facilities, presentations and encounters with our Ambassador penguins.
TRAINING
We offer 3 and 6 month internships for adults, as well as a zoo and aquarium keeper exchange programme and veterinary experience courses.
RESEARCH
Ongoing research increases our understanding of seabird species’ behaviour, diseases and other factors that impact on their long-term survival.
LATEST NEWS
There are 334* hand-reared Lesser flamingos at a quarantine holding facility in the Northern Cape that are not yet ready…
SANCCOB QUARTERLY ACTIVITY REPORT WESTERN CAPE CENTRE BIRDS January Highlight – Lesser Flamingo chicks SANCCOB admitted 560 Lesser flamingo chicks…
African Penguin foraging behavior study commences at Boulders Penguin Colony The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds…
HOW TO HELP
FOUND A BIRD?
all us any time of the day or night. SANCCOB is a 24-hour Seabird Rescue Centre and will respond to all seabirds in distress, including African Penguins, Cape Gannets, Terns, Cormorants, Seagulls, Oystercatchers, Albatrosses, Petrels, Pelicans and other marine birds.
CAPE TOWN
+27 (0)21 557 6155
+27 (0) 78 638 3731 (after hours & weekends)
PORT ELIZABETH
+27 (0)41 583 1830
Depending on the nature of the injury and the location of the seabird, we will dispatch one of our own Rescue Units, offer stabilisation advice or put you in contact with the nearest organisation that can assist.
What to do when you find an injured/sick/oiled seabird:
- Please approach any seabird with care – some, such as Cape Gannets and African Penguins, have sharp beaks.
- Have with you a towel or blanket and wear protection over your hands and eyes.
- Throw the towel or blanket over the bird to catch it, ensuring that the bird is able to breathe.
- Place the bird in a large box if you have one, after first ensuring that there are holes for air.
- Keep the bird in a warm quiet place until help arrives
