The African penguin (Cape penguin) is endangered and faces severe welfare challenges from oiling, entanglement, food shortages, and climate change across its South African and Namibian range.
African penguins face both chronic and acute welfare challenges. Chronic food shortages cause gradual starvation of chicks and breeding failure. Oil spills cause acute suffering through hypothermia, organ damage, and ingestion toxicity. Rehabilitation of oiled penguins requires intensive care but is highly effective - SANCCOB has saved over 90,000 penguins. However, without addressing the food security crisis, rehabilitated birds return to declining colonies facing ongoing starvation risk.