The African penguin has been reclassified as “critically endangered” species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Experts warn that, without urgent intervention, this species could vanish from the wild by 2035.

The population of African penguins has sharply declined in recent years, with the IUCN estimating that only about 19,800 individuals remain. Back in the 1800s, their numbers exceeded 4 million. The primary threat to the African penguin is the significant decline in available food sources, primarily due to climate change and competition with commercial fishing for sardines and anchovies, which are essential to their diet.

The current “no-take zones,” which are marine protected areas established to limit commercial fishing, are inadequate. Conservationists are advocating for an expansion of these protected areas to ensure that penguins have improved access to food sources.

Recently, BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB have taken it to the court in a bid to make local government to step up measures to protect the African penguin from extinction.