Boulders is a popular beach resort on South Africa’s Cape where penguins and people are competing for suburban habitat. Nesting space is short on the beach, so enterprising penguins move into town – trespassing in hotels, private pools, hothouses, the golf course. Life’s challenges can be tough – the hot African sun, egg thieving gulls and mongooses, crowded living quarters, and devastating winter storms. But their toughest challenge is human. Their invasion has brought laughter, fun – and conflict.

But in mid-winter, a massive oil spill poses a serious threat the future of the species. Forgetting former differences, humans mount history’s biggest seabird rescue. It’s an emotionally-charged moment when 45,000 African penguins are snatched from death’s door.