Penguins on the Rocks: Tales from South Africa

The New England Aquarium’s penguins take center stage (which is exactly where they like to be) when two Aquarium experts share their experiences in rescue, rehabilitation and research of endangered African
penguins in Cape Town, South Africa.

The March 15 lecture, entitled “Penguins on the Rocks: Talesfrom South Africa,”features Senior Penguin Biologist Paul Leonard and Senior Educator Johanna Blasi who will share details of their work at a South African conservation
center. This free event is part of the New England Aquarium’s lecture series.

‘On the rocks’ refers both to the penguin’s natural habitat
and breeding ground on the rocky coastline and also the concerns for the penguin population, which has declined due to a number of issues. Leonard was involved in population surveys, working with the South African Department of Environmental Affairs to work to determine why the population has decline in this unique area. 

The lecture begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday March 15 in the
Aquarium’s Harborside Learning Lab, Central Wharf, Boston.  

Blasi and Leonard applied and received an Aquarium staff
development grant to travel to South Africa to conduct field work and research at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. While there this past December, they assisted in rehabilitation of penguins that were injured, including birds covered in oil. They also cared for abandoned penguin chicks and studied the penguins in their natural setting on Dassen Island.