Apart from donating or symbolically adopting a penguin, you can also volunteer and work with penguins. 

Where can you volunteer with penguins

EarthWatch Institute

Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental charity founded as Educational Expeditions International in 1971 near Boston by Robert A. Citron and Clarence Truesdale. Earthwatch connects people with scientists worldwide to conduct environmental research and empowers them with the knowledge they need to conserve the planet.

They offer a program supporting South African Penguins.  Ninety percent of the penguin population on Robben Island has disappeared over the past 100 years. You can help conserve their habitat and protect their population.

Practical Information

Robben Island is a hotspot for seabird biodiversity, including endangered cape cormorants, bank cormorants, and 3,800 African penguins. It lies in the middle of major shipping lanes, and the risk of oil spills to local seabirds has been well documented. You can help a team of Earthwatch scientists monitor seabirds on the island and help reduce the impact of the various threats to this fragile environment.

You’ll first receive an orientation to the island and visit the penguin colony to learn about research aims and methods.

  • Monitor penguin nests
  • Access chick body condition
  • Help injured birds

To view upcoming dates, click here. 

For questions and more detailed information, visit their site – Earthwatch. 

Picture from Earthwatch.

SANCCOB

SANCCOB  helps rehabilitate and take care of injured penguins, and with your adoption, you help with the medical costs of the penguin.  After the penguin is healed, they are released back into the wild.  

Local and overseas volunteers play an integral part in their operations, providing thousands of hours of much-needed conservation work daily. Volunteers must be over the age of 18, hard-working, and passionate about saving seabirds.

Practical Information 

SANCCOB offers local and international volunteer programs. Get hands-on experience working with endangered African penguins and other seabirds at the world-renowned SANCCOB seabird centers in Cape Town or Port Elizabeth in South Africa.

  • Duration: minimum 6 weeks
  • Contribution starts at: about $300 (about €164 ).
  • Location: Cape Town or Port Elizabeth

For general information, visit their site SANCCOB where you can also find  more information on local volunteer programs, or write an email to  volunteers@sanccob.co.za

Peru Penguin Conservation

Journey to Peru, to help build up a safe habitat for the Humboldt Penguins and stop the further decline of the species, as well as spreading awareness about the issues they face.

Practical information

You will stay close to the beach in the coastal region of the Pimental District, near the town of Chiclayo. During your participation in the program, you will partake in the daily operations of a penguin center, where your main task will be to work alongside a dedicated team that focuses on the conservation of Humboldt penguins and other environmental activities. 

  • Duration: from 1 to 4 weeks
  • Contribution starting at: $895 (about €738) – depending on how long you are staying. 
  • Location: Pimental District, Chiclayo

To apply, click here

Adult Humboldt Penguins were photographed at the northernmost location of the species’ geographic distribution; Isla Foca. Photo: Jorge Novoa.

Galapagos Conservation Trust

Galapagos Conservation Trust although they run and fund projects in Galapagos, they do not place volunteers or research students abroad. 

There still might be some opportunities. To find out more about volunteering in Galapagos, please contact the Galapagos National Park or the Charles Darwin Foundation directly. If you would like to discuss current GCT projects with one of our team, then please email your inquiry to projects@gct.org.

The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust

The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust is a community-based organization dependent on volunteers to support its work. 

Opportunities for volunteering with the Trust are plenty, from governance to one-off community conservation days or regular volunteer days.

You can:

  • Become a trustee
  • Become an Emerging Leader trustee
  • Wednesday Volunteers
  • Habitat Volunteers
  • Office Volunteers
  • You can also volunteer as a group

If you wish to register as a volunteer, contact the Trust Office.

West Coast Penguin Trust

West Coast Penguin Trust strives to conserve
penguins and other seabirds on the West Coast,
ensuring that they and the coastal environment are
protected for their intrinsic values.

Volunteers can help in many ways and have helped
the Trust since it began in 2006. The list of projects to
get involved in is constantly growing.


For more information click – here.

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