The following six stages are critical to an understanding of the process that a seabird undergoes from oiling to restoration. At each stage death can occur. These stages form a chain, and the success of the rescue process depends very much on the link in the chain where performance is poorest. Oiled seabirds do not come ashore, but die at sea. For the African Penguin, this seems to be a rare event.
All evidence points to most penguins coming to shore alive.
It appears that they usually head for the nearest breeding colony, but many oiled birds also come ashore on the mainland. They usually do not return to sea, but remain on the shore, surviving on their fat and other reserves, until they eventually die. This behavioural trait of staying put works in the African Penguin's favour essentially, they await rescue. Oiled seabirds die before being captured. Most of the penguin breeding islands are staffed, and there are few sections of shoreline in the Western Cape which are so isolated that no one visits them regularly.