The 4th annual Penguin Promises Waddle for a Week will be taking place from 10 to 15 March 2014. An intrepid group of Waddlers will be setting off from Gansbaai, walking their way to Simon’s Town, while raising much needed awareness about the plight of the endangered African penguin. The Penguin Promises Waddle for a Week is an AKAA (Animal Keepers Association of Africa) initiative. The group of 16, tackling the 120km walk, consists of animal keepers from around the country as well as other animal enthusiasts and penguin supporters.

The endangered African penguin is only found along the Southern African coastline. They occur nowhere else in the world. Their distribution stretches from Namibia in the west, to Algoa Bay in the east. These enigmatic birds face extinction in the wild as their numbers continue to decline dramatically. Loss of food source due to overfishing, climate change and habitat destruction are just some of the factors taking their toll.

The Waddlers are calling on all South Africans to take action and to promise to make a change in their daily lives that will effect positive change in the environment.

Some suggested promises include promising to no longer use straws, or to shower rather than bath, or to stop using plastic bags, or to eat only sustainably sourcedseafood. These changes can have an immense positive impact on the environment when they are made collectively.

It is easy to join the movement and contribute towards saving the African penguin. The Waddlers are encouraging people to join them anywhere on route (en route?) and to make their promise at ipromise@penguinpromises.com. The final day of the Waddle, Saturday 15 March, will see the group leave from Muizenberg at 9am. They aim to reach Simon’s Town by 1pm and would love as many Capetonians, dressed in black and white, to join them.

The Penguin Promises Waddle for a Week campaign is gene-rously supported by Old Mutual Finance and Chrysler Jeep Dodge – Newlands. “At Old Mutual Finance, the concept of a duty of care is embedded in the way we engage with our customers, stakeholders and the environment. We say to custo-mers that “you never walk alone” and that we are there as a long-term friend. The Penguin Promises Waddle fits naturally with the aforementioned ethos that lives within Old Mutual Finance,” said Werner Alberts, Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual Finance.

The Waddle is not a fundraising campaign. Instead, the campaign focuses on raising awareness about the plight of the African penguin and encourages people to commit to beha-vioural change in their daily lives.  For further information about the Penguin Promises Waddle for a Week, visit www.penguinpromises.com or email Hayley McLellan on hayley.mclellan@aquarium.co.za.

The Two Oceans Aquarium is proud to be associated with the Penguin Promises Waddle for a Week campaign and encou-rages everyone to join the movement.

Please visit the Aquarium website www.aquarium.co.za, Twitter @2OceansAquarium and Facebook for daily updates on the Waddlers’ progress.

Renée Leeuwner

Assistant Communications and Sustainability Manager

Two Oceans Aquarium