This month of love, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) is giving the public a chance to adopt two penguins and name them.
According to the registered non-profit organisation, the initiative is partially to raise funds for the seabirds' rehabilitation costs and to help reverse the decline of their population through the rescue and release of ill, injured, abandoned and oiled seabirds.
“Our penguin adoption programme is an initiative that has enabled countless seabird patients to receive specialised veterinary care, rehabilitation and fish feeds, and resulted in their release back to their natural habitat,” said the organisation.
For the month of February, penguin lovers and enthusiasts in and around Cape Town and Port Elizabeth can become “parents” to the seabirds for R600.
However, this doesn’t mean the “parents” will be taking them home. The penguins will remain in the organisation's care and will be released back into the wild when ready.
The organisation said the penguins cannot be visited during rehabilitation and “parents” cannot track their movements after they’re released.
“By adopting, you will play a vital role in saving the African penguin and give your adopted bird the chance to live a natural life in the wild, where the bird belongs,” said SANCCOB.
Penguin “parents” will receive a Certificate of Adoption valid for one year and a thank-you letter from their penguins.
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