Penguin Tutoring Blog

As the days warm up and holidays are around the corner, a great day out can be spent in the sun seeing and learning about penguins at Boulders in Cape Town. Each year, as part of our corporate social investment drive, we sponsor the rehabilitation of an injured or marooned penguin. Being in our sixth year, we’ve adopted five penguins, namely Patrick, Petunia, Percival, Pippa and Pablo. Have you got any suggestions on the name of the next one?

Read an extract from a recent travel24 post about boulders below:

If you’re a fan of the cute and cuddly tuxedo-wearing birds that fly through water, instead air, Simonstown’s Boulders beach is a must-visit destination. First established in 1986 when a pair of perky African Penguins came across this cosy stretch of coast and decided to settle there, the colony has grown substantially and is now home to about 2100 breeding pairs and their fluffy babies.

A well-maintained boardwalk takes you right along their burrowed nests, hidden among the lush indigenous undergrowth and a variety of viewing points look out over their hunting grounds and the white beach where nurseries of chicks await their parents and their food.

But, even though it may look like the penguin colony is bursting at the seems, the numbers tell a different story, as 2100 breeding pairs is a sad site, compared to the 4500 of five years ago. And the worst part is that this reflects the figures of South Africa’s penguin population at large, as the 36 000 breeding pairs spread across the 26 different colonies, have dwindled to 17 000 in the past 10 years.

Reasons for this demise are uncertain, but conservationists suspect that pelagic fishing is at the heart of it. The Treasure oil spill in 2000 also may have interfered with breeding seasons more drastically than expected.

So, if you haven’t seen these cuties in all their natural glory, make a big and bold inscription on your bucket list and head on over there as soon as possible!

The African Penguin is a globally endangered species. In 1956 the population numbered about 147,000 breeding pairs and just over fifty years later, in 2010, the population was down to some 21,000 pairs – a decrease of more than 100,000 pairs. This massive population decline led to the species classification as endangered by the World Conservation Union. Competition with commercial fisheries for pelagic fish, changes in prey distribution and availability, habitat degradation, oiling and predation contributed to the decline.
Dyer Island is a critically important breeding colony – one of the largest remaining in South Africa – but African penguin numbers are rapidly declining. In 1979 Dyer Island had a penguin population of about 23,000 breeding pairs. This dropped to 1,200 pairs in 2010 – a more than 90% drop in numbers in 30 years. Today, Dyer Island is a protected area but during the last century (in fact as late as the 1980s) the island was stripped of all its guano, centuries of accumulated bird droppings. In addition, commercial exploitation of eggs drastically reduced African penguin numbers. Further threats come from disease, oiling and predation by Cape Fur Seals.

Historical threats:
During the 19th and 20th centuries the island was stripped of guano for use as an agricultural fertilizer. This has had devastating effects on the penguins. The safest place for penguins to breed is in burrows, which they used to dig into the soft guano enabling the birds to make their nests and sheltering them from the heat of the sun.

The problem:
When guano was removed, penguins were forced to nest in the open on the rocky island surface. Here they are at the mercy of the elements and of predators. On hot days adults incubating in the open overheat and often leave their nests to go down to the sea. As soon as eggs and small chicks are left unattended on the surface, they too can overheat and die, or more likely fall prey to the ever watchful Kelp Gulls.

The solution:
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust, in partnership with Cape Nature, has embarked on a programme to introduce artificial nests providing vitally important shelter for breeding penguins.Fibreglass nests were specially designed to mimic natural guano burrows. The nests minimise exposure to predators and the elements. They also facilitate research and monitoring that would otherwise not be possible on surface nesting birds.

The way ahead:
The nesting project has been expanded to other breeding colonies where penguins are forced to nest on the surface, including Stony Point, Bird Island, Boulders Beach, Robben Island and Ichaboe Island (Namibia).
Sponsor an Endangered African Penguin Family a New Home Now! Only R400 buys and installs a nest as well as supporting research.

Dyer Island Conservation Trust objectives:
This Trust has been established for the conservation, rehabilitation and protection of the natural environment, including flora, fauna and the biosphere, the care of wild animals, the promotion of, and the conducting of educational and training programmes relating to environmental awareness, greening and clean-up projects, and conservation research. Donations towards this Trust are administered specifically for conservation at Dyer Island and its surroundings.
The Trust promotes awareness of the plight of the African penguin both locally and internationally and generates support for the African penguin and marine research.

What can you do?:

Sponsor a penguin nest!
Cost: R400 (towards nest manufacture, transport and placement, conservation, monitoring and penguin research). Receive: Certificate of sponsorship, penguin information, name on online supporters list, access to website updates and newsletters.
Contact details: Dyer Island Conservation Trust P.O. Box 78, Gansbaai, 7220 Tel: +27 (0)28 384 0406 Fax: +27 (0) 28 384 2002 Email: info@dict.org.za Web: www.dict.org.za

“I accept the call to responsibility that comes with the many rights and freedoms that I have been privileged to inherit from the sacrifice and the suffering of those who come before me.
“I appreciate that the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are inseparable from the duties and responsibilities to others. Therefore I accept that with every right comes a set of responsibilities.”

Today saw the launch of The Bill of Responsibilities, an initiative by Lead SA and the Department of Education,with the support of the National Interfaith Movement.  A nationwide programme will teach the youth of our country the content and implications of this Bill, a first of its kind in the World. It is an educational document to be taught in schools and publicised and debated throughout all areas of society.

The Bill of Responsibilities is a complementary document to the Bill of Rights and has the power to change South Africa for the good. Each one of us has the potential to change the course of this country’s future, and when we change our behaviour, we change the attitudes of those around us. We all need to improve our moral values and behavior and base our values on the foundations of integrity, compassion and decency.

Through the positive actions of every individual, we will be able to improve our wonderful country, and the future of the bright young people just at the beginning of their lives.

Lets all embrace this change and Lead South Africa.

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of specialist academic tutors in the country. Our professional management and extensive tutor database will ensure that your children get everything they need and more out of their extra lessons.

Parents of Matrics are going to need some extra help and guidance over the next few weeks.The Prelims have been postponed by the Gauteng Department of Education due to the ongoing educators strike. Exams were scheduled to start on the 3rd September, but will now take place during the week of 20th September. The papers will be written in the afternoons and catch-up sessions will take place in the mornings.

The Department of Education has been distributing Study Guides to affected schools and parents and learners are urged to download past papers from these websites;
www.thutong.doe.gov.za Click on “Support for Matrics “  or  www.education.gpg.gov.za Click on “Matric exam material ”
The DoE will also put up self explanatory guidelines on how to study, and set up study groups. Lessons will be broadcast through radio and television through the Department of Basic Education.

We at Penguin Tutoring Co are concerned about the strike and its far reaching negative impact on the future of these young people. We have tutors available in all areas to assist you. Log onto our website www.penguintutoring.co.za and ask for help now.

Excitement is mounting as the famed Cape Argus Cycle Tour draws closer. A contingent of Penguins from Johannesburg will be tackling the gruelling race on Sunday March 14th, together with35 000 other cyclists tackling the 109km route around Cape Town.

Traditionally staged on the second Sunday of March, this is the biggest one day sporting event in the country and fast becoming a major international draw card – Lance Armstrong joins the starting line up this year.  Foreign entries topped 2 000,  and increase every year, a boon for business and tourism in the Western Cape.

Charities are also big winners at the Cycle Tour. Over R3-million was donated to the race’s two official charities, the Pedal Power Association and the Rotary Club of Claremont in Cape Town.

Last years’ windy conditions made the race the toughest in 20 years. This year conditions did not look too promising, with a feisty south-easter expected to blow at between 40km and 50km/h. Highs of about 25 C are expected in the city, dropping to about 22 C around Slangkop and 19 C at Cape Point.

Good luck to all the brave souls out there - have fun, wear yellow and support Lance’s Livestrong Campaign.

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of specialist academic tutors in the country. Our professional management and extensive tutor database will ensure that your children get everything they need and more out of their extra lessons.

Contrary to popular belief, Penguins can actually fly! Provided of course they have been loaded onto an aircraft, clipped into their seat-belts and given the run down on the safety procedures…..

Fifteen African Penguins flew from uShaka Marine World,  Durban, to their new home at Orlando Sea World in Florida, USA where they will form part of a breeding programme. Sea World has 14 different species of Penguins from around the world, but these are the first African penguins, previously known as Jackass Penguins, because of the braying sound they make.

Experts are alarmed at the decline in the numbers of Penguins in the wild - in 1956 there were 141 000 pairs but this  dwindled to 36 000 by the end of 2006. It is predicted that the conservation status of the African Penguin will soon be elevated to “endangered”. The dramatic decline in numbers is being attributed to the lack of fish, and conservationists are developing a new strategy to prevent their extinction.

Penguin Tutoring Co is aware of their plight and actively supports SANCCOB by adopting rescued birds. To date Percival, Petal, Petunia and Patrick - who is our Facebook guru, have joined our Penguin family. The delightful Wendipiks cards make their way into the homes of our clients and tutors in a further effort to support these special and unique birds.

Recent research has shown that the African Penguin population along the coast of South Africa is 19% higher today than it would have been in the absence of SANCCOB‘S efforts in rehabilitation.

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of specialist academic tutors in the country. Our professional management and extensive tutor database will ensure that your children get everything they need and more out of their extra lessons.

Penguin Tutors - Heading for the Beach!

Matric exams are almost over, schools and universities are emptying and 2009 is drawing to a close! Those familiar signs of exam panic on the faces of South African students have been replaced with tans and care free smiles! There can be no mistake now…it’s finally holiday season!

Our tutors have worked exceptionally hard this year, with some incredibly rewarding results. Long term friendships have been forged and the company has grown enormously but most importantly, hundreds of  learners, from Cape Town and The Winelands, to Johannesburg and Pretoria, to Durban and Pietermaritzburg, will be going into the next academic year feeling confident and enthusiastic, all because of the superior work of our tutors!

We would like to say an enormous thank you to every one of our tutors and wish them a fantastic holiday! With all the amazing choices our country has to offer for a good getaway, we can’t know what all of our tutors will be doing. But I think you can guess where most of our Pretoria and Johannesburg tutors will be going…just like these gorgeous African Penguins, they’ll be joining that wonderful summer pilgrimage to the beach!

Happy Summer Holidays!

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of inspirational extra lessons in South Africa. Our specialised tutors are carefully screened and trained to provide your child with the highest quality private tuition in the comfort of your own home.

Penguin Tutoring would like to wish every single one of South Africa’s matric candidates the very best of luck as they write their final exams! We are especially holding thumbs for all of our own matrics across the country who benefitted from the knowledge and guidance of our extra lessons. Please don’t forget to let your tutor know how the exam went when it’s over and also how your results improved when you find out how you did!

Some of our best tutors are the ones who know first hand, how important good extra lessons can be, so if you’re heading off to university next year and are thinking about getting a student job, why don’t you consider becoming a Penguin Tutor yourself? Go to www.penguintutoring.co.za/tutors/apply to fill out an application!

Good Luck Class of 2009!

Matric 2009: You're Never Alone with Penguin Tutoring!