Tara is back!

Well I will leave you with the image of these beautiful African Penguins, preparing themselves for a swim! These adult penguins believe it or not came in covered in oil, unfortunately a very common occurance, but thanks to the hard work of SANCCOB and the dedicated volunteers they are almost ready for release after having a good old scrub!

So was it worth all the cuts and bruises?.....DEFINITELY! I have lots of very treasured memories of SANCCOB and South Africa made easy by AVIVA (volunteer programme) and everyone that supported me prior to my departure...thankyou!

Now I have to make it up to all the animals that I left behind at the Park, although it looks like Dippy has a new friend!

Tara is back!

When not working at SANCCOB I got the chance to do some wildlife spotting from the land and at sea. This is one of my favourite photos taken whilst on my way to Robben Island (Nelson Mandela was imprisioned here) of a flock of Sacred Ibis! The wildlife in South Africa never ceases to amaze me, with flocks of Pelicans often flying over head and Flamingos seen feeding in one of the local reserves as well as Southern Right Whales just casually playing in the Bay, South Africa is definitely every wildlife enthusiast's heaven!

Tara is back!

After a tearful farewell to all the African Penguins, my new found friends, Wildlife and of course not forgetting....the sun, I returned safely back to the harsh reality of winter in England on Friday morning.

Where do I begin....it's surprising how much you can squeeze in in only six weeks!

Well firstly my time at SANCCOB has been such a valuable practical and personal expereince. The work that is done there is incredible, especially given the confined grounds in which the centre is located. The local volunteers are so dedicated in rehabilitating the sick, oiled or injured birds that arrive at the centre, and it gave me a real sense of pride and achievement to be actively involved in saving the African Penguin and other birds. Maybe the only thing that I won't miss is the lovely green oil skins that we wore!!

Tara has her hands full at SANCCOB!

Hello all! Well as you can see I have my hands full with a beautiful African Penguin chick...this is just one, we actually have 96 of them which arrived at the weekend! The chicks were rescued from Dyer Island and brought to SANCCOB to be taken care of until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. Unfortunately the chick's parents have started to moult and therefore are no longer able to catch fish for their young, which if left would eventually starve to death! Due to the fact many of them are under-nourished we have the responsibility of feeding and tubing fluids into the young every two hours!
Today I went on my first release, just me, eight Penguins, a Comorant and Darter...it really makes all the guano and bites worth it as you see them back where they belong, although they all looked a bit bewildered by the whole experience and almost jumped back on the boat! Anyway as you can imagine I am having a fantastic experience out here in South Africa with only just over a week to go I will find it hard to say goodbye to this beautiful country with all its beautiful wildlife!

Tara's South African adventure begins!

The Time has come to bid farewell (for now) to all the animals and keepers at the park as I prepare to leave for my South African adventure!

I'm feeling very excited if not a little nervous as I'm sure the wild African Penguins I will be looking after won't be as friendly as 'Dippy', one of our favourite Humboldt Penguins at the park!

Well I have my passport and tickets ready to go, all I have to do is pack my bags, not forgetting the sun cream, and prepare myself for the 12 hour flight to Cape Town where I will be met by a member from the volunteer team!

I will try to keep everyone updated about my penguin and other wildlife encounters (including all the bites and bruises anticipated) during my stay in Cape Town via the blog, so please keep in touch!

I would just like to thank all the Keepers at the park and members of public who have shown a great deal of support and genorosity towards myself and SANCCOB, so THANKYOU to all and will see you in six weeks!!!

SPECIAL FUNDRAISING WEEKEND!

What are you and your family up to this August Bank Holiday Weekend? We’ve got lots going on at Seaview Wildlife Encounter including a very important fund raising event. This is your chance to get involved in a really special project …….
One of our Senior Head Keepers (Tara Hayter, pictured above) has volunteered to go to Cape Town for 6 weeks in October of this year – to assist with the rescue and care of African Penguins and other marine birds that have been orphaned or affected by oil spills off the Cape coast.