Featured image: African penguins. Credit: Steve Benjamin.

The beloved black-and-white African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) needs your help! Endemic to the southern African coastline, the African penguin’s population has plummeted from 1.5–3 million individuals in the early 1900s to just over 8,000 breeding pairs in 2023. This dramatic decline is due to overfishing and environmental impacts which has caused populations of fish to crash, leaving the penguins struggling for food. Recently uplisted to Critically Endangered, the African penguin is at risk of becoming functionally extinct in the wild by 2035 unless urgent action is taken now.
How can you help this species in need? Join Mission Blue and become part of the ‘Not on Our Watch (NOOW)‘ campaign, which is appealing to the public and supporting organizations across the globe to raise awareness of the dire situation the species faces.…