#WorldRangerDay! We salute you all!

Author: SANCCOB

In celebrating World Ranger Day, we honour those who are out in the field, protecting our natural treasures and cultural heritage, tirelessly dedicating their skills and time on a daily basis.

Our Penguin and Seabird Rangers play a vital role in monitoring, rescuing and stabilising sick or injured seabirds in Simon's Town, and penguin colonies at Stony Point, Robben Island and Bird Island. It's because of their heroic work that seabird patients, chicks and eggs are rescued timeously and safely transported to SANCCOB facilities for rehabilitation. Their responsibilities as rangers also entails providing valuable data to our research team and they maintain infrastructure and natural vegetation at the colonies.
 
In partnership with South African National Parks (SANParks), CapeNature, Robben Island Museum, Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET) and the City of Cape Town's Environmental Management Department, we are proud to deploy a total of eight rangers in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape of South Africa to ensure the survival of the endangered African penguin and other seabird species in need of intervention. We salute our rangers and we thank you for your support as funders of our conservation work, which has helped us have the rangers on the ground in penguin colonies. With fewer members of public out and about during South Africa's lockdown, a ranger's watchful eye is even more critical to alert us of distressed birds in need of care. You can make a contribution to this project today!
 

Preparedness and Response
With winter comes the added concern of potential oiling events at sea that could pose an environmental threat to South Africa's sensitive marine life. With less than 20,000 breeding pairs of African penguins left in the wild globally, an oil spill could have a disastrous effect on the species and so SANCCOB maintains a state of 24/7 readiness to rescue and rehabilitate seabirds should it occur. It is for this reason that we were one of the emergency services placed on Tier 1 alert when a Chinese crude oil carrier ran into difficulty near Port St John's on the Wild Coast. A Tier 1 response would require resources necessary to handle a local spill and/or provide an initial response. The Yuan Hua Hu was en route to Angola and fortunately was not carrying any cargo, except for the 4,000 tonnes of operating bunker fuel. The Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries placed its Tier 1 Oil Pollution Response team on alert; a tiered response system is internationally recognised and used to define levels of oil spill response capabilities. We would like to commend the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) in coordinating the rescue of the super-tanker, safely bringing it into the Port of Durban without mishap. A wildlife response is time-critical so it is imperative to have the right equipment available when it is needed. Read more here to find out about our preparedness or to donate toward equipment for continued readiness to respond.

REGISTER HERE for our upcoming webinar.Our Preparedness and Response Manager, Nicky Stander, will be presenting on “What is Offshore Ship-To-Ship Bunkering and how has it impacted South Africa's seabirds so far?” on Thursday, 13 August at 7pm GMT+2. Nicky will discuss the practices of offshore refuelling of vessels in Algoa Bay, and why it's likely that ship-to-ship bunkering will increase in the future. We will examine why bunkering is an inherently risky operation and the threat it poses to seabirds in an ecologically sensitive area, using the MV Chrysanthi S oil spill of 2019 as a case study.
 

African penguin chicks at SANCCOB Port Elizabeth
After we shared the news of 79 African penguin chicks rescued from Bird Island in the Eastern Cape due to weathered nests and abandonment, we were overwhelmed with support via messages, donations and of course, the ever-popular penguin adoptions. We are so very thankful for your generosity and so are the chicks that are well fed and cared for at our Port Elizabeth centre. They will remain in rehabilitation for the next four to six weeks and you can still adopt a chick because we still need your help! Scroll through our penguin adoption gallery to choose a real-life fluffy penguin chick that you can adopt and name.
 

SANCCOB is now listed with CAF America
With the closure of the American Fund for Charities, SANCCOB is now listed on Charities Aid Foundation of America's Charity Database. Donors are able to make tax-effective gifts to CAF America with SANCCOB as the grant recipient. Connect with Zainab Mouton at zainab@sanccob.co.za to acquire a gift form.
 

Get Involved
Covid-19 has taken its toll in so many ways and perhaps you can find a new and positive avenue in ways to get involved, and continue helping us champion our cause:

• Visit our Online Shop to treat yourself or family and friends. Watch our social media platforms for new shop products coming soon.
• Adopt and name a penguin or egg online and receive your certificate of adoption immediately. You can also nominate a recipient so it's a great gift option.
• If you represent a trust or foundation, or group of companies, seeking an organisation such as ours to fund marine wildlife conservation, contact Hedwich Tulp at hedwich@sanccob.co.za.
• While tours and education lessons at our centres are still on hold due to Covid-19, you can still book an online lesson for your family or school group. Email alex@sanccob.co.za or sharnay@sanccob.co.za for details.
• Have a look at our wish list of items needed. When donated, procuring these items helps us reduce operational costs.
• Connect with Angela at volunteers@sanccob.co za for internship enquiries. We offer structured and mentored training programmes with a strong focus on skills development in the fields of animal science, husbandry and care, as well as welfare related fields. Downloadable application form here.
• Join SANCCOB's Membership Programme and enjoy the privilege of voting rights at our Annual General Meetings (special rates are offered for senior citizens).
• Let your legacy live on by joining our Legacy Programme. If you choose to leave a gift in your Will to SANCCOB then please share your intention with us or contact zainab@sanccob.co.za if you have enquiries about the programme.

You can Donate Online or directly to SANCCOB's bank account.
First National Bank | Table View Branch | Account number 5923 713 5859 | Swift Code FIRNZAJJ

Reference your name and contact number.
Please forward your bank slip to stephanie@sanccob.co.za so that we may formally thank you and assist with a Section 18A tax certificate for donations of R100 or more from South African citizens.

We look forward to having you join our next webinar and please do stay connected on our social media platforms indicated below.