Critically endangered African penguin numbers rise at South African breeding colony

CAPE TOWN, June 25 — The number of critically endangered African penguins has increased at a key breeding colony in South Africa, according to South African National Parks (SANParks).

In a statement released on Thursday, SANParks said that the latest 2026 annual census at the Boulders Beach penguin colony in Cape Town recorded 790 breeding pairs of African penguins, up from 698 in 2025.

Based on population estimates, the colony supports about 2,528 individual penguins, representing roughly 8 to 9 percent of South Africa’s remaining African penguin population.