African Penguins and Rare Seabirds on Dyer Island in South Africa (00003556)

Description: African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) breed on Dyer Island, a small island six sea miles off the coast of Gansbaai in South Africa. The ruins of a former guano station can still be found on the island. After the guano supplies were depleted, seal beaters and penguin hunters came to the island. Until the end of the last century, African Penguins were brutally hunted for their oil. The population of African Penguins in South Africa decreased by over 50% between 1956 and 1978, partly due to overfishing in their feeding grounds. African Penguins are listed as an endangered species in the Washington Endangered Species Act. The fauna and flora on Dyer Island are completely protected, with only a conservationist and occasionally a biologist living there.

Location: Western Cape, Dyer Island, South Africa

Date of Capture: 13.05.2001