Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, commonly known as SANCCOB, is a South African nonprofit organisation focused on the rescue, rehabilitation, release, and conservation of seabirds. It was established in Cape Town in 1968 after the Esso Essen oil spill exposed the severe effects that marine pollution could have on African penguins and other coastal birds. Founder Althea Louise Burman Westphal initially created a temporary rehabilitation facility at her home before the organisation was formally established later that year. SANCCOB developed during a period when tanker traffic around southern Africa was increasing and oil pollution incidents were becoming a serious threat to marine wildlife. Its work has since expanded beyond emergency oil-spill response to include the treatment of injured, sick, abandoned, dehydrated, and orphaned seabirds. The organisation gives particular attention to endangered and declining species, including the African penguin, Cape cormorant, Cape gannet, and Bank cormorant. Its core activities are delivered through specialist seabird hospitals in Cape Town and Gqeberha. These facilities include veterinary treatment areas, surgical theatres, intensive-care units, wash bays for oiled birds, aviaries, rehabilitation pens, and pools. Birds are stabilised medically, provided with nutrition and supportive care, and gradually prepared for return to the wild. Rehabilitation is intended to preserve or restore essential behaviours such as swimming, hunting, social interaction, and avoidance of excessive human imprinting. SANCCOB has played a prominent role in responses to large pollution events, including the Apollo Sea spill in 1994 and the Treasure spill in 2000. During the Treasure incident, the organisation helped evacuate 19,500 unoiled penguins from danger zones while also treating oiled birds. Across its history, SANCCOB has cared for more than 85,000 seabirds, although the volume and species composition of cases vary according to pollution events, disease outbreaks, weather, food availability, and other environmental pressures. Conservation work extends beyond individual animal treatment. SANCCOB participates in research and collaborative programmes addressing habitat loss, food shortages, overfishing, disease, avian influenza, climate change, and marine pollution. It also supports public education, community outreach, and awareness initiatives intended to explain the ecological importance of seabirds and encourage public involvement in their protection. The organisation works with government bodies, research institutions, conservation groups, zoos, aquariums, and international partners. It has collaborated with the International Fund for Animal Welfare on large-scale rescue operations and works with organisations connected to programmes such as Saving Animals From Extinction. The African penguin remains a central focus because of its endangered status and continuing population pressures. SANCCOB combines direct rescue and rehabilitation with research, public engagement, and support for wider conservation measures. It has also participated in efforts to encourage the formation of a penguin colony at De Hoop Nature Reserve using artificial penguin models and recorded calls. Other work has addressed mass abandonment and disease-related emergencies among Cape cormorants and the effects of depleted prey resources on Cape gannets and Bank cormorants. SANCCOB is recognised by the South African Veterinary Council. The organisation does not hold formal accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, but it collaborates with numerous AZA-accredited institutions and has received international certification through the Global Humane Conservation programme. Its present role combines veterinary care, wildlife emergency response, species conservation, science, education, and partnership-building across southern Africa.

SANCCOB was formed in response to the growing danger that oil pollution posed to southern Africa's coastal birds. The immediate catalyst was the Esso Essen spill in April 1968, which affected African penguins and demonstrated the need for a dedicated local rescue capability. Althea Louise Burman Westphal established a temporary treatment facility at her residence and formally founded the organisation in November 1968. The organisation's emergence also reflected broader changes in regional maritime activity. The closure of the Suez Canal after the Six-Day War redirected tanker traffic around the southern African coast, increasing concern about the frequency and consequences of oiling incidents. SANCCOB developed as a practical response to these risks, providing emergency care while also drawing attention to the longer-term decline of African penguin populations. Under the leadership of Roy Siegfried, SANCCOB gained formal recognition and expanded its operational capacity. From 1969 to 1993, it provided sanctuary to an annual average of approximately 200 to 2,000 birds, most of them African penguins. Between 1990 and 2005, the organisation admitted an average of about 750 oiled penguins annually. Its experience in handling mass casualties became especially important during major spills. SANCCOB responded to the Apollo Sea spill in 1994 and to the Treasure spill in 2000. The Treasure operation was notable not only for the treatment of oiled birds but also for the preventive evacuation of 19,500 unoiled penguins from areas at risk. This response represented a substantial intervention in relation to the global African penguin population at the time. Over the course of its existence, SANCCOB has cared for more than 85,000 seabirds. Although oil-spill response remains an important part of its identity, SANCCOB's remit has broadened substantially. Its hospitals in Cape Town and Gqeberha treat seabirds affected by trauma, illness, abandonment, dehydration, starvation, pollution, and infectious disease. Veterinary teams and trained volunteers provide stabilisation, medical treatment, nutrition, washing where necessary, and behavioural rehabilitation. Birds are released only after they are considered capable of surviving independently, including finding food and functioning within social groups. The organisation's conservation work increasingly addresses population-level threats. African penguins face pressures associated with food availability, habitat change, pollution, and climate-related environmental shifts. SANCCOB contributes to research and collaborates with government agencies, academic institutions, conservation organisations, zoos, and aquariums. It has supported efforts to establish a new African penguin colony at De Hoop Nature Reserve through the use of penguin decoys and recorded vocalisations to attract wild birds. SANCCOB has also responded to threats affecting other seabirds. Cape cormorants have experienced population declines linked to food scarcity, disease, and avian influenza. In January 2021, approximately 2,000 chicks were found abandoned and in poor condition at two nesting sites. SANCCOB led a large rehabilitation response involving rehydration, tube feeding, veterinary monitoring, and preparation for release. About 54% of the rescued chicks were successfully rehabilitated and returned to their breeding colonies, while most losses occurred during the first days after admission. Cape gannets are affected by declining sardine availability, changes in prey distribution, and oil pollution. Bank cormorants face food-resource pressures associated with the depletion of rock lobster and the resulting need to compete for alternative prey. SANCCOB's response to these challenges combines individual rescue with research, public education, and collaboration designed to improve the prospects of wild populations. The organisation operates two seabird hospitals and maintains specialised areas for intensive care, surgery, washing oiled birds, flight and swimming rehabilitation, and release preparation. It is recognised by the South African Veterinary Council and has obtained certification from the Global Humane Conservation programme. SANCCOB is not formally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, but it works with AZA-accredited institutions and international conservation networks. Its current model is therefore broader than that of an animal rescue centre: it is a wildlife veterinary, emergency-response, research, education, and conservation organisation serving southern Africa's marine birds.

• 2024

  Gqeberha Cape gannet response

  [1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  The Gqeberha branch receives 100 oiled Cape gannets for stabilisation, washing, and extended rehabilitation.

• 2021

  Cape cormorant chick rescue

  [1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  SANCCOB undertakes a large-scale rescue and rehabilitation operation for approximately 2,000 abandoned Cape cormorant chicks.

• 2000

  Treasure oil-spill evacuation

  [1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation helps evacuate 19,500 unoiled penguins while treating seabirds affected by the Treasure spill.

• 1994

  Apollo Sea oil-spill response

  [1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  SANCCOB responds to the Apollo Sea spill as part of its expanding regional role in the rescue and treatment of oiled seabirds.

• 1968

  SANCCOB is founded after the Esso Essen spill

  [1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  Althea Louise Burman Westphal establishes a temporary seabird rehabilitation facility after the April oil spill and formally creates SANCCOB in November.

A specialist seabird rescue and conservation organisation combining veterinary rehabilitation, oil-spill response, research, education, and species-recovery partnerships.

• Wildlife conservation · 1968

  African penguin rescue and rehabilitation

  SANCCOB rescues African penguins affected by oiling, injury, illness, abandonment, starvation, and other threats. Care includes emergency stabilisation, veterinary treatment, nutritional support, swimming and hunting preparation, and assessment for release. The programme combines individual animal care with wider efforts to understand and reduce the pressures driving the species' decline.

• Wildlife emergency services · 1968

  Oiled-seabird emergency response

  SANCCOB provides specialist oil-spill response through trained personnel, seabird hospitals, intensive-care facilities, and a dedicated multi-stage wash area. Birds are stabilised before washing because oil exposure can impair waterproofing and cause hypothermia, drowning, dehydration, and poisoning. Rehabilitation continues until birds are fit for release.

• Wildlife conservation · 2021

  Cape cormorant rehabilitation

  SANCCOB has developed rescue and rehabilitation capacity for Cape cormorant chicks affected by abandonment, dehydration, heat stress, and disease-related pressures. Its 2021 operation involved rehydration, tube feeding, veterinary monitoring, and preparation for return to breeding colonies. The programme also contributes information about factors associated with survival during rehabilitation.

• Conservation research and outreach

  Seabird research and education

  SANCCOB works with public agencies, researchers, conservation organisations, zoos, aquariums, and community groups on research, education, and awareness. Topics include seabird health, food shortages, habitat loss, overfishing, pollution, climate change, and disease. Outreach programmes encourage people to understand seabird ecology and support conservation action.

• 2021Cape cormorant chick rescue

  South Africa

  Working with IFAW, SANCCOB rescued approximately 2,000 abandoned Cape cormorant chicks suffering from dehydration and heat stress.

  Outcome. Approximately 54% of rescued chicks were rehabilitated and returned to breeding colonies.

  Source
• 2000Treasure oil-spill response

  South Africa

  SANCCOB coordinated seabird rescue and a preventive evacuation of unoiled African penguins during the Treasure oil spill.

  Outcome. 19,500 unoiled penguins were evacuated from threatened areas, while affected birds received rehabilitation.

  Source
• De Hoop penguin-colony initiative

  South Africa

  SANCCOB has participated in an initiative to encourage African penguins to establish a colony at De Hoop Nature Reserve using lifelike decoys and recorded penguin calls.

  Source

• 2021

  Large-scale expansion of Cape cormorant rehabilitationOther

  Background

  Approximately 2,000 Cape cormorant chicks were found abandoned, dehydrated, and heat-stressed at two nesting sites.

  Action taken

  SANCCOB and IFAW established an intensive rescue, feeding, rehydration, and rehabilitation operation.

  Aftermath

  About 54% of the rescued chicks were returned to their breeding colonies, while the response generated information about early mortality and rehabilitation outcomes.

  Source

• 1968

  Creation of a dedicated seabird rehabilitation organisationStrategy

  Background

  The Esso Essen oil spill demonstrated the need for a permanent capability to rescue and treat oiled African penguins and other coastal birds.

  Action taken

  Althea Louise Burman Westphal formalised the temporary home-based rescue effort as SANCCOB in November 1968.

  Aftermath

  The organisation became a continuing centre for seabird emergency response and later broadened into veterinary rehabilitation and conservation.

  Source

• 2024

  Gqeberha facility receives oiled Cape gannets[1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  SANCCOB's Gqeberha branch received 100 oiled Cape gannets and began stabilisation, washing, and rehabilitation work. Treatment for such birds generally requires several weeks.

• 2021

  Large-scale rescue of abandoned Cape cormorant chicks[1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  SANCCOB and the International Fund for Animal Welfare undertook a major rescue operation after approximately 2,000 Cape cormorant chicks were found abandoned and suffering from dehydration and heat stress at two nesting sites.

• 2021

  Rehabilitation of Cape cormorant chicks[1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Cape cormorant response represented SANCCOB's first large-scale rehabilitation effort for the species. Approximately 54% of the rescued chicks were later rehabilitated and returned to breeding colonies.

• 2000

  SANCCOB responds to the Treasure oil spill[1]SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Following the Treasure oil spill, SANCCOB helped evacuate 19,500 unoiled African penguins from threatened areas and provided rehabilitation support for affected seabirds.

1. 1SANCCOBen.wikipedia.org
2. 2SANCCOB official websitesanccob.co.za