Gansbaai Penguin Campaign

Marine Dynamics is proud to be a sponsor of the Gansbaai’s Penguin Campaign, whose objective it is to create an interest in Gansbaai’s attractions by encouraging visitors to explore more and stay longer. Seven colourful giant penguins decorated by artists will be placed at sponsored locations throughout Gansbaai.

The campaign officially launched on the Friday, the 23rd of August 2019 at the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, where seven colourful penguins gathered to have their photos taken before heading off to their respective ‘homes’.

The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, a project of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, has become a key place to visit in Gansbaai and was the inspiration for the campaign. The African Penguin is an endemic species to South Africa and Namibia – with an estimated 15000 breeding pairs left in South Africa, the species has been on the endangered list since 2010. Historical factors of guano scraping for agricultural fertilizer destroyed their breeding habitat leading to predation during the crucial fledgling stage. Coupled with an estimated 13million plus eggs that were harvested and considered a delicacy, this caused the initial crash in numbers. Now they face issues of predation by gulls, seal and sharks; oiling; marine pollution; and a lack of fish with overfishing in their crucial hunting grounds. Dyer Island off the coast of Gansbaai is home to a colony of African penguins and the APSS hopes to rebuild this population.

Glenda Kitley, manager of Gansbaai Tourism, had this to say, “The objective is simple: Follow the penguins, discover the places, taste the food, and experience the moments, that the greater Gansbaai area has to offer. Gansbaai area is known as the Natural Adventure Destination and is renowned for the Marine Big Five, blissful beaches, fynbos, fabulous food and fine wine, and much more. Plot your penguin route, place yourself in the penguin picture and present the penguin proof. The penguins are sure to delight young and old and hopefully the real ones will enthral.”

The penguins have been sponsored by various businesses and can be found at these respective locations: The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, Gansbaai Tourism, Marine Dynamics, Blue Goose Restaurant, Xplorio, Saxon Lodge and Pearly Beach. Each penguin has been decorated by an artist/s with a focus on all that Gansbaai has to offer. All penguin stories can be found on Xplorio Gansbaai. Quarterly incentive prizes are available for those who visit all seven penguins and share them to the social media space of Gansbaai Tourism’s Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #gansbaaipenguins #capewhalecoast Tag @gansbaai-tourism and the venue of the penguin.