Off the Fence

Fifteen years ago, a handful of African Penguins, normally found only on remote islands off the Southern African coast, stumbled across on of the Cape's most beautiful and popular tourist beaches. They swam, they saw, they conquered. And today, Boulders beach is home to more than 4,000 of these delightful, resourceful and entertaining seabirds who live side by side with their human neighbours -well, most of the time! These knee-high invaders not only share the beach, they dodge traffic, scale fences, and take over gardens, the golf course and even the occasional bedroom! For the two feathered stars, Henry and Margot, it's a tale of romance, the challenges of parenthood, separation and a penguin's worst nightmare, oil.

In July of 2003, 8-year-old Sasha Leigh Crook stayed with her grandparents for the winter school holidays. On July 6th, her grandparents planned to take her to a birthday party where her mother Michelle would meet them. Excited about the party, the little girl played in the front garden, but when it was time to leave, Sasha Leigh was nowhere to be found. This is her tragic story.