African penguins have declined by over 70% since 2000 from anchovy and sardine depletion, and continue to suffer from food shortage threatening colony survival.
African penguin chicks dying from starvation in colonies with insufficient anchovy and sardine prey die slowly over days as adults make increasingly futile foraging trips. Adults in poor body condition from food depletion are more vulnerable to predation from cape fur seals. Oil-contaminated penguins lose waterproofing causing hypothermia in cold water. Penguin chicks exposed in open nests without guano burrows suffer heat stress in South African sun. The compounding stresses of food depletion, climate change, and historical habitat damage create a welfare crisis for remaining colonies.