Waddle for a Week 2015 is right around the corner. We are counting the days to the start on 13 April.
While 100 years ago there were more than 1.5-million African penguins swimming around, today there are only 18 000 breeding pairs left to sustain the whole population, and some scientists believe they could be extinct within the next 15 to 20 years. The Waddle for a Week sees a group of committed, conservation-minded citizens walking some 120km along the Western Cape coastline, in the area where African penguins are traditionally found, to raise awareness around this endangered species and its plight.
This week we are doing our final introductions of the team of waddlers.
Our first introduction is of Stephen.
Stephen van der Spuy is the executive director of the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). He is also a veterinary surgeon with many years’ experience, which is very handy as there have been many waddles where we have come across a hapless animal in need of care (consider yourself warned, Stephen). Participating in part of the waddle before inspired Stephen to go the entire journey for the cause and we were ecstatic when he accepted our invite to be SANCCOB’s representative. This is Stephen’s first Waddle for a Week.
Next up are the two Old Mutual Finance representatives who will be joining us for the whole week.
Dawid Moller is a marketing consultant at Old Mutual Finance and Jacques de Beer is the company's collections manager. Old Mutual Finance is the generous sponsor of the waddles from 2014 to 2017. The penguin exhibit at the Two Oceans Aquarium is also proudly brought to you by Old Mutual Finance.
Walking great distances is nothing new for these two guys as walking is a very significant way of life in the Old Mutual Finance group (have a look at the OMF Inch by Inch video). They will be joined by many of their colleagues on the final day, Saturday 18 April, as the waddlers complete the final 15km stretch of the week.
Come along and support us; everyone is welcome! This is also Dawid's and Jacques’s first Waddle for a Week.
And lastly, we have Wayne, our dedicated driver for the week.
Wayne Daniels is a driver for African Wildcats Tours (AWT), our amazing transport sponsor this year. Wayne joined AWT last year and we were told that he has "fitted into our team like a glove". He is friendly, polite and always goes the extra mile.
Wayne will be going many miles for penguins and is welcomed as a full-time Waddle team member as he safely drives us to the start of our journey in Gansbaai. The support vehicle will make strategic stops along the way to provide refreshments to the team of 16 and ensure we reach our overnight destination. If Wayne didn’t know anything about African penguins before, we guarantee he will be an expert by the end of this week! Welcome to the team, Wayne.
Waddle you do?
Remember, you can make a difference by making a Penguin Promise. Please email your promise to ipromise@penguinpromises.com. Here are some ideas for what kind of promise you could make (just make sure you keep it):
The waddlers are looking forward to seeing you on the road with them! For more info on the Penguin Promises campaign as well as the Waddle for a Week, please contact Hayley McLellan on 021 814 4532 or hayley.mclellan@aquarium.co.za.
Please follow @penguinpromises and @2OceansAquarium for up-to-date tweets and posts while the group make their way from Gansbaai to Simon’s Town.
A huge thanks to Old Mutual Finance for supporting Waddle for a Week 2015.
Meet the other waddlers
- The more, the merrier for Waddle for a Week 2015
- Waddle for a Week 2015 – more waddlers join the cause
- Waddle you do for the African penguin? These people WALK!
Take a look at last year's Waddle
To get a good idea of what to expect during the Waddle for a Week, take a look at our day-by-day coverage from last year:
- Waddle for a Week 2014, Day One
- Waddle for a Week 2014 – Day Two: Stanford to Hermanus
- Waddle for a Week 2014 – Day Three: Hermanus to Kleinmond
- Waddle for a Week 2014 – Day Four: Kleinmond to Betty's Bay
- Waddle for a Week 2014 – Day Five: Gordon's Bay to Strand
- Waddle for a Week 2014 – Day Six: Muizenberg to Simon’s Town
