African penguins are critically endangered, with colonies collapsed by oil spills, overfishing, and climate change.
Oiled penguins experience hypothermia from matted, non-waterproof feathers, starvation from inability to dive effectively, and organ damage from preening ingested oil. Rehabilitation involves intensive cleaning, feeding, and weeks of care before release. Overfishing of anchovy and sardine — penguin prey — causes breeding failure and starvation. Each penguin's welfare is directly affected by fisheries management decisions.