Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland Program Series: African Penguins in the 21st Century January 13, 2010

Sometimes called the Jackass Penguin for its donkey-like braying, the African Penguin lives along the rocky coastline of southwest Africa, in the countries of South Africa and Namibia. It is found nowhere else in the world. The African penguin is a threatened species whose population has declined by 90% since the turn of the 20th century with about 200,000 birds left in the wild. African Penguins are highly susceptible to human interference and egg collecting and guano harvesting nearly drove them to extinction. Though better protected from disturbance at their rookeries they compete with the commercial fishing industry for food and remain vulnerable to pollution of their ocean habitat, particularly oil spills from big tankers. This presentation will focus on the challenges facing the African Penguin, efforts underway to protect them and how people can help ensure their survival into the 22nd Century.
Thomas M. (Tom) Leiden
Tom Leiden has traveled to the Western Cape of South Africa four times in the last three years where he and his wife, Kathy, have assisted researchers studying the African Penguin on the coastal islands. Tom works with the African Penguin Species Survival Plan committee of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to increase the awareness of the plight of the African Penguin and to garner support for programs to improve the survival rate in the wild and involve the participation of U.S. based zoological organizations and the public that visits these organizations. Tom has been traveling the country presenting this program at various zoos & aquariums.
Tom is Chief Executive Officer and President of the Leiden Cabinet Company, a third generation family manufacturing business, Trustee at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration and a Trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, serving on the Executive and Natural Areas Committees. Tom enjoys being outdoors and traveling with his wife, Kathy, to exotic places like the rainforest and South Africa.