The Simon’s Town colonies is protected environmentally by the South African government with some areas managed by SANParks and others by the City of Cape Town (CoCT). Simon’s Town is found 35 km south of Cape Town and the 2-ha protected site consists of small beaches. There are several boardwalks, where tourists may observe the penguins up close, and visitors can access some beaches that the penguins inhabit. It is recognized as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BirdLife as well as a global Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) by IUCN.
Threats to the African penguins include predation by land-based predators such as genets and caracal, as well as dogs and cats. Although disturbance by tourists may be a problem, there are measures implemented to control excessive disturbance. The education and tourism value of the site is immense with thousands of visitors wanting to view and interact with African penguins. SANCCOB has four Penguin and Seabird Rangers stationed in Simon’s Town due to the level of human/wildlife interaction in the area.
The Simon’s Town Penguin and Seabird Ranger Project has been running since 2016, as a partnership between CoCT, SANParks, SANCCOB, and Nature Connect. Currently, the Penguin and Seabird Rangers are supervised by Mashudu Mashau who is employed by CoCT, while Mikaela Slier, Mpumelelo Mabutyana, Vardaman Hahndiek and Kashiefa Amos are the SANCCOB Penguin and Seabird Rangers on-site.
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As an ongoing initiative, the Chick Bolstering Project has several fundable components, including costs associated with rescuing and rearing chicks during periods of mass abandonment.