The crisis has been made worse because this is the penguin's breeding season. Thousands have come to the beach for the mating season, and they've subsequently gotten trapped by the oil slick. More than forty percent the African penguin population has been threatened. But there is hope. It will take months to clean the area, so thousands of birds will be shipped to another island 500 miles from their natural habitat.
Conservationists agree that the situation is a tragedy.
But this time, at least, it seems that most of the victims will live. Click here for Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Internet Safety Information applicable to this site.