SANCCOB is an internationally recognized leader in oiled wildlife response, rehabilitation and chick-rearing; contributes to research which benefits seabirds; trains people to care for the birds and educates the public to appreciate this unique heritage.
SANCCOB is a leading marine-orientated non-profit organization which has treated more than 90 000 oiled, ill, injured or abandoned African penguins and other threatened seabirds since being established in 1968. Independent research confirms that the wild African population is 19% higher directly due to SANCCOB’s efforts .
SANCCOB works with numerous conservation-minded local and international partners and promotes projects which contribute toward the conservation and protection of Southern Africa´s seabirds, especially threatened species such as the African penguin. As project administrators we facilitate the funding of projects which are in line with the (draft) Biodiversity Management Plan for the African penguin, and which carry the approval of the South African government and mandated authorities.
SANCCOB’s primary objective is conserve seabird populations through the rescue, rehabilitation and release of ill, injured, abandoned chicks and oiled African penguins and other vulnerable seabirds through artificial hand-rearing of orphaned seabirds, such as the African penguin and the Bank Cormorant. Currently, 39% if the global breeding African penguin pairs are found in the Western Cape of South Africa, 43% in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and 18% off the Namibian coastline.
SANCCOB works closely with colony managers to identify birds in need of our care in the wild and bring them to our centres in Cape Town (Western Cape) and Cape St. Francis (Eastern Cape) for rehabilitation and hand-rearing. In a non-spill year we typically treat approximately 2,500 seabirds, the majority of these being the endangered African penguin.