VISIT OUR SEABIRD REHABILITATION CENTRES
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ANCCOB’s Cape Town and Gqeberha centres offer informative tours that are fun and educational for all ages and interests. Whether you wish to learn, watch a penguin waddle along, hear a seabird squawk, entertain visiting loved ones or are interested in a career in conservation, there is something for everyone to experience at our facilities.
Daily centre tours have the following restrictions at both centres during Lockdown Level 3 in South Africa:
- No more than 6 people per family group
- Booking is essential and walk-ins for tours are only permitted if tour slots are unbooked
- Masks are compulsory: headgear and neck scarves cannot replace masks and no filter masks allowed
- Covid-19 protocols will be adhered to with regard to temperature checks, completion of Covid-19 questionnaire and regular hand sanitising
- Our on-site shops are open from 8am to 4pm and you can also visit our online shop here
SANCCOB CAPE TOWN TOURS
- The Cape Town centre in Table view can accommodate four tour groups per day at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 2pm on week days, and 3 tours on weekend days at 10am, 12pm and 2pm.
- Home Pen feeds take place at 11am and 3pm daily if it interests you to watch as part of your tour experience.
- Compulsory booking with Alex at Alex@sanccob.co.za or call +27 21 557 6155. Our tours are child friendly and an informative experience for all ages.
- Tour costs in Cape Town: Adults at R60; Kids 12 years and under at R50; Senior Citizens at R40.
SANCCOB GQEBERHA TOURS
- Based at the Cape Recife Nature Reserve, our Gqeberha centre’s tours are every hour on the hour starting at 9am and last tour commencing at 2pm.
- Home Pen feeds take place between 9am and 10am, and between 2pm and 4pm daily if it interests you to watch as part of your tour experience.
- Booking is compulsory. Please call +27 41 583 1830 for more information and to book your tour group.
- Tour costs in Gqeberha: Adults at R45; Senior Citizens and Kids 12 years and under at R30.
Tour options at Cape Town centre (Only to be reinstated when lockdown restrictions in South Africa have completely eased):
- A guided tour behind the scenes throughout the facility and varies from 45 minutes to one hour
- Our kids tour will not venture into every specialised area and varies from 30-45 minutes, offering activities such as colouring-in, touching a taxidermy, dressing up in a penguin suit and learning the penguin waddle, as well as looking at slides and preserved organs (optional).
- We offer a personalised and in-depth tour with an exclusive meet and greet opportunity with specialised staff behind the scenes of our rehabilitation facility. Duration is approximately 2.5* hours and priced at R500 per person.
*Please note that booking is essential
SCHOOLS
Environmental education experiences at our Cape Town and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) centres are designed to highlight our conservation message. Our educators work with you to develop the best learning experience for your class, either at SANCCOB, or at your school. We offer many interesting and engaging lessons, including tours of the facility, bird watching and beach clean-ups. A full break down of current SANCCOB lessons is available on request.
To book your SANCCOB experience, please Alex@sanccob.co.za for Cape Town or Taryn@sanccob.co.za for Gqeberha.
To book for Cape Town download this Western Cape request form to come to SANCCOB and download this Western Cape request form for SANCCOB to come to you.
To book for Gqeberha download this Eastern Cape request form.
Alternatively, call us on +27 21 557 6155 or +27 41 583 1830.
EDUCATIONAL TALKS AND LECTURES
We’ll bring our informative and entertaining talks to your school, library, church, retirement village or business premises, or visit our centres for an on-site group tour and presentation. Contact our Education Teams to enquire at Alex@sanccob.co.za (Cape Town) or Taryn@sanccob.co.za (Gqeberha). If you have specific aspects or outcomes in mind then be sure to let us know.
SKYPE LESSONS
SANCCOB’s Education Department in Cape Town offers 30-minute Skype sessions to learners across the globe, and includes a penguin adoption for the group. Each session entails an interactive lesson on African penguins, a variety of seabirds, marine conservation, and a virtual encounter with an African penguin in SANCCOB’s care.
Enquire at alex@sanccob.co.za to book or call +27 21 557 6155.
Clubs for Young People in Gqeberha – Eastern Cape
SANCCOB Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape offers conservation-focused educational meet ups for young people, which includes a chance to assist with kid-friendly and supervised tasks around the centre.
- The Little Blues Club (7–11 year olds) gathers on the second Saturday of every month from 09h00 to 12h00. Attendees receive a fun-filled lesson and participate in a related activity which could include beach clean-ups, assistance with small tasks in the Rehabilitation Department, nature walks artwork and loads more. The cost is R60 per child and includes a light lunch. Please contact taryn@sanccob.co.za for more information.
- The Penguin Protectors Club (12-17 year olds) members meets on the fourth Saturday of each month from 09h00 to 12h00 to enjoy a fun lesson to stimulate environmental interests, assist with tasks at the facility, as well as participate in activities such as beach clean-ups and nature walks. The cost is R60 per session and a light lunch will be included. Connect with taryn@sanccob.co.za for more information and to join the Penguin Protectors Club.
Research Library
Useful research publications compiled by SANCCOB’s Research Department
Health assessments, blood parasites and diseases
- A novel candidate species of Anaplasma that infects avian erythrocytes (Vanstreels
RET, Yablsey MJ, Parsons NJ, Swanepoel L, Pistorius PA (2018). Parasites and
Vectors - Spread of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in sub-Saharan Africa:
epidemiological and ecological observations. Focus On. FAO No 12 (Khomenko S,
Abolnik C, Roberts L, Waller L, Shaw K, Monne I, Taylor J, Dhingra M, Pittiglio C,
Mugyeom M, Roche X, Frederick K, Kamata A, Okuthe S, Kone P, Wiersma L, von Dobschuetz S, Soumare B, Makonnen Y, Morzaria S, Lubroth J (2018) 2016-2018 - Molecular characterization of Babesia peircei and Babesia ugwidiensis provides insight into the ecolution and host specific of avian piroplasmids (Yabsley, MJ, Vanstreels, RET, Shock, BC, Purdee, M, Horne, EC, Peirce, MA & Parsons, NJ. 2017)
- Conservation implications of avian malaria exposure for African penguins during rehabilitation (Botes, A, Thiart, H, Parsons, NJ & Bellstedt, DU. 2017)
- Novel vagrant records and occurrence of vector-borne pathogens in king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) in South Africa (Parsons, NJ, Gous, TA, Cranfield, MR, Cheng, LI, Schultz, A, Horne, E, Last, RP, Lampen, F, Ludynia, K, Bousfield, B, Strauss, V, Peirce, MA & Vanstreels, RET. 2017)
- Seabird disease surveillance guidelines (Nola Parsons)
- Southern African Seabird Colony Disease Risk Assessment (Nola Parsons)
- Occurrence of blood parasites in seabirds admitted for rehabilitation in the Western Cape, South Africa, 2001–2013 (Parsons, NJ, Voogt, NM, Schaefer, AM, Peirce, MA & Vanstreels, RET. 2017)
- Health evaluation of African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in southern Africa (Parsons, NJ, Gous, TA, Schaefer, AM & Vanstreels, RET. 2016)
- Herpesvirus-like respiratory infection in African penguins Spheniscus demersus admitted to a rehabilitation centre (Parsons, NJ, Gous, TA, van Wilpe, E, Strauss, V & Vanstreels, RET. 2015)
- Establishment of baseline haematology and biochemistry parameters in wild adult African penguins (Parsons, NJ, Schaefer, AM, van der Spuy, SD & Gous, TA. 2015)
- Lead and Cadmium in the Blood of Nine Species of Seabirds, Marion Island, South Africa (Summers, CF, Bowerman, WW, Parsons, NJ, Chao, WY & Bridges, WC Jr. 2014)
- Babesia ugwidiensis, a new species of avian piroplasm from Phalacrocoracidae in South Africa. Parasite 19, 375–379 (Peirce, MA & Parsons, NJ. 2012)
- Novel relapsing fever Borrelia detected in African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) admitted to two rehabilitation centers in South Africa (Yabsley, MJ, Parsons, NJ, Horne, EC, Shock, BC & Purdee, M. 2012)
- New species of haematozoa in Phalacrocoracidae and Stercorariidae in South Africa (Parsons, NJ, Peirce, MA & Strauss, V. 2010)
- Plasmodium juxtanucleare causing mortality in black-footed penguins (Spheniscus demersus) at a rehabilitation center (Grim, KC, Van der Merwe, E, Sullivan, M, Parsons, NJ, McCutchan, TF & Cranfield, MR. 2003)
Seabird Rehabilitation
- First report of a hatched, hand-reared, and released African oystercatcher. Zoo Biology.
(Klusener R, Hurtado R, Stander N, Parsons NJ (2018) - Hand-rearing, release and survival of African penguin chicks abandoned before independence by moulting parents (Sherley, RB, Waller, LJ, Strauss, V, Geldenhuys, D, Underhill, LG & Parsons, NJ. 2014)
- Female-biased mortality of African penguins admitted to a rehabilitation facility (Pichegru, L & Parsons, NJ. 2014)
- Feather-loss Disorder in African and Magellanic Penguins (Kane, OJ, Smith, JR, Boersma, PD, Parsons, NJ, Strauss, V, Garcia-Borboroglu, P & Villanueva, C. 2010)
- The rehabilitation of Swift Terns Sterna bergii incapacitated by marine foam on Robben Island, South Africa (Parsons, NJ, Tjørve, KMC, Underhill, LG & Strauss, V. 2006)
- The conservation status and impact of oiling on the African Penguin In: Nel, DC & Whittington, PA (eds). Rehabilitation of oiled African Penguins: a conservation success story. BirdLife South Africa and the Avian demography Unit, Cape Town, South Africa. pp. 1–7 (Nel, DC, Crawford, RJM & Parsons, NJ. 2003)
African penguins in the wild
- A three-legged African penguin Spheniscus demersus. Marine Ornithology 46: 23-26 (Vanstreels RET, Parsons NJ, Pistorius PA. 2018)
- Nasal mites (Mesostigmata: Rhinonyssidae) in African penguins (Spheniscus demersus).
Parasitology. (Vanstreels RET, Proctor H, Snyman A, Hurtado R, Ludynia K, Parsons NJ, Pistorius PA. 2018) - Prognostic indicators of rehabilitation outcomes for adult African penguins (Parsons, N.J., Vanstreels, R.E.T., Schaefer, A.M. 2018)
- Tangled and drowned: A global review of penguin bycatch in fisheries. Endangered
Species Research 34:373-396 (Crawford R, Ellenberg U, Frere E, Hagen C, Baird K, Brewin P, Crofts S, Glass J, Mattern T, Pompert J, Ross K, Kemper J, Ludynia K, Sherley RB, Steinfurth A, Suazo C, Yorio P, Tamini L, Mangel J, Bugoni L, Jimenez-Uzcategui G, Simeone A, Luna-Jorquera G, Gandini P, Woehler E, Pütz K, Dann P, Chiaradia A, Small C. 2017) - Metapopulation tracking juvenile penguins reveals an ecosystem-wide ecological trap (Sherley, RB, Ludynia, K, Dyer, B, Makhado, A, Lamont, T, Makhado, AB, Roux, JP, Scales, KL, Underhill, LG & Votier, SC. 2017)
- Sex determination of African penguins Spheniscus demersus using bill measurements: method comparisons and implications for use (Robinson, KJ, Farah, D, Collins, S & Parsons, NJ. 2016)
- Penguins’ perilous conservation status calls for complementary approach based on sound ecological principles: reply to Butterworth et al. (2015) (Weller, F, Sherley, RB, Shannon, LJ, Jarre, A, Stewart, T, Scott, L, Cecchini, LA, Crawford, RJM, Geldenhuys, D, Ludynia, K & Waller, LJ. 2016)
- System dynamics modelling of the Endangered African penguin populations on Robben and Dyer islands, South Africa (Weller, F, Sherley, RB, Waller, LJ, Ludynia, K, Geldenhuys, D, Shannon, LJ & Jarre, A. 2016)
- Processes influencing the population dynamics and conservation of African penguins at Dyer Island, South Africa (Ludynia, K, Waller, L, Sherley, R, Abadi, F, Galada, Y, Geldenhuys, D, Crawford, RJM, Shannon, LJ & Jarre A. 2014)
- Age-specific survival and movement among major African penguin colonies (Sherley, RB, Abadi, F, Ludynia, K, Barham, BJ, Clark, AE & Altwegg, R. 2014)
- The initial journey of an endangered penguin: implications for seabird conservation (Sherley, R, Ludynia, K, Lamont, T, Roux, J-P, Crawford, RJM & Underhill LG. 2013)
- The Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area: using seabird tracking data to define boundaries and assess their adequacy (Ludynia, K, Kemper, J & Roux, J-P. 2012)
- Surviving off junk: Low-energy prey dominates the diet of African penguins Spheniscus demersus at Mercury Island, Namibia, between 1996 and 2009 (Ludynia, K, Roux, J-P, Jones, R, Kemper, J & Underhill, LG. 2010)
Other seabirds (and coastal birds) in southern Africa
- Storms and heat limit the nest success of Bank Cormorants: implications of future climate change for a surface-nesting seabird in southern Africa (Sherley, R, Ludynia, K, Underhill, LG, Jones, R & Kemper, J. 2012)
- Geographic variation in the trophic ecology of an avian rocky shore predator, the African Black Oystercatcher along the southern African coastline (Kohler, SA, Connan, M, Hill, JM, Mablouké, C, Bonnevie, B, Ludynia, K, Kemper, J, Huisamen, J, Underhill, LG, Cherel, Y, McQuaid, CD & Jaquemet, S. 2011)
- Foraging behaviour of bank cormorants in Namibia: implications for conservation (Ludynia, K, Jones, R, Kemper, J, Garthe, S & Underhill, LG. 2010)
- Monitoring seabirds in the BCLME – Data collection manual. In: SP Kirkman (ed.) Final Report of the BCLME (Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem) Project on Top Predators as Biological Indicators of Ecosystem Change in the BCLME (Kemper, J, Braby, J, Dyer, B, James, J, Jones, R, Ludynia, K, Mullers, R, Roux, J.-P, Underhill, L & Wolfaardt, A. 2007)
