Surf Report - BirdLife South Africa Raffle

Splash Out and Save the African Penguin

Designer Swimsuit

Ask any Olympic swimmer: if you’re going for gold, you need a serious swimsuit. The African Penguin Spheniscus demersus might look comical in that formal black-and-white suit, but in open water it rivals Ryk Neethling!

African penguins can stay underwater for up to 5 minutes and dive to depths of 130 metres. An adult penguin in fresh plumage can whiz after a sardine at 20km/h and cruise along quite happily at 10km/h. If that doesn’t sound impressive, try it next time you’re paddling in 4-degree Celsius sea at a depth of 25 metres!

Not only is that striped tuxedo designed to reduce drag for maximum velocity, but the distinctive pattern of the suit plays an equally important role in snagging the catch of the day. African Penguins feed primarily on schooling fish like anchovies and sardines. To fish, a flock of circling penguins is a whirlpool of white-and-black pandemonium: the school panics and packs together to form a ‘bait ball’. Individual penguins take turns to peel off from the circling group and shoot up through the school to snatch any stray fish.

Fancy Dress comes at a Cost

Most birds preen themselves regularly, replacing their feathers gradually to maintain condition. But because penguins must be well insulated against icy-cold water, they cannot afford any gaps in their plumage. They need a complete coat of feathers. Solution? Replace all feathers at once. Sounds good, but it takes three weeks to moult and get a new set of feathers. That’s 3 weeks staying ashore, 3 weeks without food! The rather odd-looking plump penguin you see waddling about in that old well-worn coat is a pre-moult penguin. At the end of the ordeal, a slim new penguin emerges, resplendent in its new suit.

Turning the Tide

Unfortunately, the penguin must compete with commercial fisheries who also target sardines and anchovies. The greatest threats facing the African Penguin are a shortage of food and oil pollution. Fortunately, organisations like BirdLife, SANCCOB and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust are committed to the conservation of African Penguins. You can help to support these organisations by purchasing a raffle ticket for Angela Key's painting Surf Report. All proceeds raised from ticket sales will support these organisations in advancing our understanding of penguins and finding innovative solutions to the problems they face.

Article: Whale Talk - November 2009

 

Propped on an easel at the far end of a spacious, light-filled loft, is a painting of a leopard- so meticulously executed, so lifelike in its rendering that the effect is powerfully hypnotic. "Leopards are beautiful, but elusive - you need to be out your sleeping bag very, very early..." smiles artist Angela Key. I've come to meet Angela at her studio in Vermont. Since returning from London in 1994, this dedicated artist and conservationist has established a solid reputation for her highly detailed studies of birds and wildlife.

Born in Malawi in 1969, Angela has spent over 30 years camping in Africa's remote wilderness areas, and countless hours in the company of herds of elephant, buffalo, zebras, springbok, wildebeest and the great predators that stalk them. Her enthusiasm, energy and immense knowledge is evident in each of her works. "Animals have always inspired man - from our hunter-gatherer forefathers to living legends like Credo Mutwa. We can learn so much - they're so tuned in to their senses. Look into an animals eyes... try to imagine how it perceives the world. It's very compelling."

I notice an impressive collection of reference books; ethnology, entomology, ornithology... a dog-eared copy of Darwin's Galapagos diary sits quite comfortably alongside a volume of ‘Degas's Pastels'.

What came first, animals or art? "Ah... the spring daisies in Namaqualand! I was armed with chalk, Crayola crayons and a sketchpad. Somehow that won the Santam Exhibition Youth Art Award. I'd just turned 7, and I've been putting pastel to paper ever since."

Her exposure to the great painters came later, while she was studying Fine Arts. Apart from developing a lifelong passion for the 17th century masters, Angela also fine-tuned her sculptural skills and impeccable draughtsmanship.

"I experimented with so many mediums... clay, wire, woodcuts, etching, oil, gouache. But I always seem to come back to pastel. It is such a pure form of pigment, and I love the immediacy of the medium."

It shows. She's honed her pastel technique to perfectly imitate feathers and fur. Her handling of tone and contrast accentuates the 3-dimensional quality that characterises her paintings. They are almost tactile. "Many people do touch them" she laughs, "please DON'T!" It takes Angela anything from 60 hours to weeks of work to complete a painting. How does she stay motivated? "I regularly make trips up to the Kgalagadi, the Karoo and Kruger, but I also draw great inspiration from the unique fauna and flora right on our doorstep. Sunbirds in pincushions are still one of my favourite subjects."

And what tips would she give to aspiring artists who are beginning to sketch birds or animals? "Find a co-operative subject, for example a cat curled up on a window sill, or seagulls roosting on the railing at Gearing's Point. Begin by making quick, impressionistic sketches just to get the basic form... then you can focus on one part, a detail of the head or the fold of a wing. Concentrating on details and correctly drawing them helps you gain insight into your subject matter."

The focus, drive and discipline of this artist have earned her international admiration and her paintings are represented in many private collections throughout South Africa as well as the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Holland all the way to Singapore. I could spend hours looking around the loft at all the 'works-in-progress', but deadlines are looming.

As I turn to leave, I can feel the eyes of that leopard penetrating right through me. I feel a deep tugging.... Africa's calling.

Leigh Bouwer

The Cat’s Whiskers

It’s late November in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park when I catch up with Lisette,
an adult cheetah who gave birth to 3 cubs mid-July 2008.
Now 4 months, they sport the last signs of cheetah-cub camo-gear; a halo of silver
hairs said to mimic the more ferocious honey badger and an effective way to
advertise “don’t-mess-with-me” to the prying eyes of any potential predators.
 

Lisette’s done well to raise this litter through the harsh dry season.
Current research being conducted by Dr Gus Mills in the KGNP shows that cheetahs
here have to resort to hunting small prey, like hares, just to survive.
Sadly, cub mortality due to starvation is exceptionally high. That, coupled with the
low rate of reproduction of the females, emphasises the fundamental role cheetah
conservation plays. Captive breeding projects like De Wildt’s Cheetah Trust and the
Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre offer excellent tours of their facilities to raise
awareness. Cheetah Outreach at Spier touches thousands of people every year with
their hand-raised ambassador cheetahs and are altering farmers’ attitudes and training
Anatolian Shepherd dogs to guard small stock.
 

But nothing is quite so rewarding as following the spoor of a wild cheetah like

Lisette across a thousand kilometres of untouched wilderness into the remotest
reaches of South Africa… .

… .Then finding her being stalked, pounced upon and perfectly content
in the company of her three playful cubs… .

 

Medium: Pastel on Royal Sovereign Board
Dimensions: 160mm X 230mm each