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Forty-six African penguins have been released back into the wild after being rescued from Bird Island in Addo Elephant National Park.
SA National Parks says the penguins are in excellent condition following several months of rehabilitation at two centres in the Eastern Cape.
Sanparks spokesperson, Megan Taplin, says Penguins Eastern Cape in Cape St Francis released thirty-six penguins while the South African Marine Rehabilitation Centre released ten penguins back to sea.
The juvenile penguins were rescued by helicopter off Bird Island in early June when it was found that they were underweight and suffering from exposure to extreme weather. Treatment and feeding in specialised rehabilitation centres was the only way to ensure their survival.
South African National Parks (SANParks) took the decision to airlift the birds to rehabilitation centres as part of the strategy to take special measures to ensure the survival of individuals where a species is endangered. African penguins were reclassified as endangered in 2010 following the global decline of their population
