On Monday 10 March 2014, 16 waddlers set off on another awareness campaign in support of the endangered African penguin. 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.
Today, Day 3 of Waddle for a Week, was reflection day. All of our Waddlers walked in silence today, reflecting on why they are doing this walk, what it means to them and just generally pondering about life and being with yourself. This was harder for some than others. I am sure our main sponsor, Old Mutual Finance, can relate to this, as they do these kinds of long walks on a yearly basis with their staff. Check out this awesome video on their inspirational walks and how it has affected the lives of the people who have taken part.
Every year, since the start of this campaign, the Windsor Hotel in Hermanus has accommodated us and given us free rooms for all 16 Waddlers. And what is even better, this always includes breakfast the next morning, which is always an exciting part of the day.
Thank you, Blake from the Windsor Hotel, for your amazing hospitality!
The silence started after Hermanus, with our “Hoot for Penguins” still held high. The Waddlers continued to collect as many hoots as they could, just in a slightly more subdued, quiet way.
You have met some of our team members already, but let me introduce you to some others. And since today is silence day, here are our Waddlers who are generally more shy and subdued, quietly waddling away. First up, Tracy Shaw.
What we learnt within about three hours of meeting Tracy is that she is penguin-obsessed. And that is a gross understatement. Tracy works at uShaka Marine World in Durban as a penguin keeper and has herself said that she has loved penguins ever since she was a little girl. If you are in need of any penguin-related accessories, Tracy is the person to ask as she has anything from penguin earrings, backpacks, T-shirts and hats.
Our next Waddler is Albert Snyman, our very quiet but easily smiling SANCCOB volunteer. Albert has been volunteering at SANCCOB for a year now and is clearly passionate about penguins and other seabirds. He works on the rehabilitation and incubation programmes.
Catherine Barley, or Cat, as she is known to everyone, is a Two Oceans Aquarium volunteer and a valuable member of the team. She volunteers both behind the scenes with our aquarists and with our penguins. She has achieved her Honours in Zoology and is looking at doing a Master’s degree on the African penguin. She has been a volunteer at the Aquarium for almost two years now.
Our last Waddler profile for today is Zac Harris. Zac is the eldest son of Gabby Harris, founder of Penguin Promises, and the brother of Kai Harris, who waddled with us last year. Zac is our youngest Waddler this year. Having the typical stamina of a teenager, the long walks don’t seem to bother him much, other than suffering a bit of sunburn.
Day 3 of the Waddle for a Week campaign was great, but you can definitely see that our Waddlers are suffering from sore muscles and blisters. Even in previous years, the third day has always been the hardest, probably due to a combination of tired bodies, sore toes and feet and roads that are just everlasting. The stretch between Hermanus and Kleinmond is mostly open road, so as a Waddler it can become a bit monotonous. Sonia Peck, one of our penguin keepers at the Two Oceans Aquarium, has a good method of soldiering on: keep your head down and look at the road.
The Waddlers show immense dedication and perseverance, which is something that impresses me every year. The Waddle definitely takes a toll on new Waddlers but Hayley McLellan and Gabby Harris, founders of Penguin Promises and the Waddle for a Week campaign (and who are waddling for the fourth time), seem to have developed muscle memory, as both of them are taking these distances in their stride and not feeling it as much as everyone else.
Finally, hills were conquered, especially that last one just before the Arabella Sheraton, and the Waddlers completed Day 3 and another 24km. They are now halfway through the total Waddle distance, something to be proud of. We received an astonishing 1 684 hoots today, already almost the total number of hoots received overall last year. Thank you!
Tomorrow will be the longest distance wise, as we will be walking (and some definitely waddling) from the Arabella Sheraton outside Kleinmond to Stony Point in Betty’s Bay. If you cannot join us, please hoot!
Thank you to our main sponsors:
Chrysler Jeep Dodge Newlands
Thank you also to:
Better Earth
Born in Africa
Badges Unlimited
Pepito Designs
Read about Day 1 of this year’s Waddle here.
Read about Day 2 of this year’s Waddle here.
Stay in touch: for daily Aquarium updates, follow us on Twitter (@2OceansAquarium) and become a fan on Facebook.
