African Penguins on Dyer Island breed along with other rare seabirds. The island and its fauna and flora are completely protected. Only a conservationist and sometimes a biologist live on the island. (00000552)

Description: African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) and other rare seabirds breed on Dyer Island, six sea miles off the coast of Gansbaai/South Africa. The ruins of a former guano station are still there. Later on, after the guano supplies were depleted, the seal beaters and penguin hunters came to the island. You can still see the sad relics from this time. Until the end of last century penguins were killed for their oil. This gruesome butchery was only stopped in 1919. The stock of African Penguins in South Africa decreased between 1956 and 1978 by more than 50%, in part because of the overfishing in their food grounds. In the Washington Endangered Species Act, African Penguins are mentioned as an endangered species in Appendix II. Now, Dyer Island and its fauna and flora are completely protected. Only a conservationist and sometimes a biologist live on the island.

Location: Western Cape, Dyer Island, South Africa

Date of Capture: 12.05.2000