More than 60,000 penguins starve to death near Africa after fall in sardine numbers
Climate crisis blamed as 60,000 penguins starve to death off South Africa
- Over 60,000 African penguins starved to death off the coast of South Africa between 2004 and 2011 due to a severe collapse in sardine numbers.
- The penguins require sardines to build up essential fat reserves before their three-week moulting period, during which they must remain on land and fast.
- The drastic decline in sardine populations is attributed to the climate crisis and extensive overfishing in the region.
- African penguins are now classified as critically endangered and are projected to face extinction in the wild within the next decade.
- Researchers are using concrete decoys and recorded calls to guide penguins to safer, food-rich breeding areas, with restoring sardine biomass deemed essential for their long-term survival.