EVEN penguins have their own day!
uShaka Marine World and Sea World will celebrate International African Penguin Awareness Day on 12 October, and are encouraging the community to support the occasion by wearing black and white on the day.
And if you happen to visit uShaka on the day and are wearing black and white, you’ll gain entry to the venue for R99.
And, while visiting uShaka Sea World, go visit the penguin exhibit, home to a thriving colony of African penguins.
This exhibit was specially designed to ensure that the birds receive the best possible care. Informative signage around the exhibit ensures that visitors learn more about these endangered sea creatures. uShaka Sea World has been home to African penguins since 1980 when the first stranded bird was received.
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Awareness of African Penguins is particularly important for East Coasters as the endangered African penguin is found only along the southern African coastline.
These enigmatic birds, that occur nowhere else in the world, now face extinction in the wild as their numbers continue to decline dramatically. The total African Penguin population took a nose dive in the 20th Century to an estimated 10 per cent of their pre-industrial age numbers.
The African Penguin was classified as endangered in 2010 which coincided with the launch of the Penguin Awareness Campaign at uShaka Sea World.
These much loved penguins are an iconic species for marine conservation as they are an indicator species for the health of the oceans, much as the canary in a coal mine. So, if they are in trouble, so are we.
Contact uShaka Marine World on 031 328 8000 or on www.ushakamarineworld.co.za.
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