INTERNATIONAL DAYANIMALS

International African Penguin Awareness Day

International African Penguin Awareness Day splashes onto the second Saturday of October, October 10 this year, shining a light on Africa's only penguin. These tuxedoed swimmers are in real trouble, and this day is our nudge to help them.

OCT10

Saturday, October 10Second Saturday in October

days to go

Roots: First organized by the Two Oceans Aquarium in South Africa in 2010; now hosted each year by SANCCOB, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
Also on Oct 10: World Hospice and Palliative Care Day · International Stage Management Day · World Day Against the Death Penalty
Hashtag: #InternationalAfricanPenguinAwarenessDay

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3 ways to celebrate

AT HOME

Penguin movie night

Watch a penguin documentary together and draw your own colony.

WITH FRIENDS

Bake for the birds

Host a bake sale of penguin-themed treats with proceeds to a conservation group.

AT WORK OR SCHOOL

Fundraise for SANCCOB

Run a classroom fundraiser or an office awareness day for the species.

Plan ahead

International African Penguin Awareness Day is observed on the second Saturday in October. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Sat, Oct 10this year

2027Sat, Oct 9

2028Sat, Oct 14

2029Sat, Oct 13

2030Sat, Oct 12

2031Sat, Oct 11

2032Sat, Oct 9

2033Sat, Oct 8

2034Sat, Oct 14

2035Sat, Oct 13

2036Sat, Oct 11

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Fast facts

2024In October 2024 the African penguin became the first penguin species ever listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, with fewer than 20,000 birds remaining.

Scientists warn the species could become functionally extinct in the wild by 2035 unless urgent action protects its food supply and nesting sites.

The story

While most people picture penguins in Antarctica, the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) waddles along the temperate coasts of South Africa and Namibia, the only penguin that breeds on the African continent. It is also called the jackass penguin, for its donkey-like bray. In 2010, the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town organized the first awareness day for this beloved bird, and today SANCCOB, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, hosts the annual festival.

Read the full story

The need for that awareness grows more urgent every year. Once numbering in the millions, the African penguin population has fallen by more than 98 percent. In 2010 the IUCN listed it as endangered; in October 2024 it became the first penguin species in the world to be listed as critically endangered. Fewer than 20,000 birds remain, and scientists warn of functional extinction in the wild by 2035 if nothing changes.

The threats are painfully human: oil spills, competition with industrial fisheries for sardines and anchovies, habitat destruction, and a shifting climate. But there is hope in action. Conservation groups monitor populations, hand-rear and release abandoned chicks, build artificial nests, and push for marine reserves where fishing is restricted. This day is a reminder that awareness is the first step toward rescue.

Every share, every donation, and every sustainable choice adds up. The African penguin has survived centuries of change; with our help, it can survive this one too.

Did you know?

The Jackass Penguin

The African penguin brays like a donkey, which earned it the nickname jackass penguin.

Africa's Only Penguin

Spheniscus demersus is the only penguin species that breeds on the African continent.

98 Percent Gone

The population has fallen by more than 98 percent from its historic numbers.

13,300 Pairs

A 2019 census found only 13,300 breeding pairs left in South Africa, about 2 percent of the population that once lived there.

Critically Endangered

In October 2024 it became the first penguin species in the world listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.

Rescue in Action

Conservationists hand-rear abandoned chicks, set up artificial nests, and campaign for no-fishing marine reserves.

Around the world

Every culture celebrates a little differently.

ZASouth AfricaSANCCOB hosts the annual awareness festival, and visitors flock to the famous Boulders Beach penguin colony near Cape Town.
NANamibiaThe penguin's other homeland, where protected breeding islands shelter nesting colonies.
USUnited StatesAquariums join the awareness push, and the species has been listed as endangered here since 2010.
GBUnited KingdomZoos and aquariums take part with keeper talks and conservation fundraising.