[imagesource: YouTube/Bodyboard South Africa]

An adorable little African penguin was filmed hitching a ride with a bodyboarder at a beach on Cape Town’s southern peninsula.

With the penguin colonies along the coast at Simon’s Town and Betty’s Bay, it is somewhat likely to have a close encounter with these endangered birds. However, seeing one jump onto a boogie board for a little wave dance is a rare and special moment.

Aden Kleve from Bodyboard South Africa said that it was just an ordinary session, enjoying the surf at Witsand when a little raft of penguins swam up to them and checked them out, “which is not too uncommon”, he said, per The South African.

“Then one of them just stuck around and hung out with us.”

At first, Kleve and his bodyboarding mate Rob thought the penguin might be sick or injured, but it turned out to just be a curious little thing.

“Then this little fella decided to launch onto Rob’s back, climbed onto his shoulder, parked his little head on Rob’s head and just chilled there,” said Kleve. “He wasn’t angry, didn’t bite. He came to hang out.”

Kleve said the bird swam off but found the group of bodyboarders again and popped up onto Kleve’s board.

“I put my board out and he just chilled there, looking at me and hobbling along the board.”

“It was mind-blowing…I’d never seen anything like it,” Kleve added.

Surf’s up!

“Surf’s up, bruh!” 🐧🏄 An inquisitive African penguin shredded some waves on a bodyboard off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. pic.twitter.com/LA5X9UgeGL

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) June 21, 2024

Sadly, the African Penguin numbers have plummeted and only 1% of breeding pairs remain compared to 100 years ago, which means they are predicted to be functionally extinct by 2035.

The penguins here face myriad challenges, like dogs, bees, and honeybadgers, along with the impact of the commercial fishing industry and human intervention.

This year, a South African conservation organisation has been passionately incubating over 200 eggs of the African penguin, rescued from two colonies of these endangered birds, in order to keep their colonies coasting along.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) is seeking financial support to cover the costs of incubation by launching the “Adopt an Egg” initiative.

By adopting a penguin egg, you can help cover the costs of raising these penguin chicks from egg to maturity, which is a four-month-long process until they are ready to be released back into the wild.

Find out more at SANCCOB.

[source:thesouthafrican]