Pinguins info - penguin - information news archive about penguins

Penguin news from January - March 2002

Look out: These are older news flashes, so it's quite possible some links/sources doesn't work properly anymore!

Giant icebergs, unprecedented ice conditions threaten Antarctic Penguin colonies (Antarctica - 4 January 2002)

Enormous grounded icebergs and an unprecedented amount of sea ice in Antarctica's Ross Sea have nearly isolated one of the continent's most populous Adelie penguin colonies, making it difficult for the birds to return from their feeding grounds in the open sea, according to researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The penguins can't get to open water to get their food, as the ice edge has been more than twice as far away as normal--presently about 60 km from McMurdo.

Source: National Science Foundation
Lost or on world tour? (South Africa - 12 January 2002)

© Erica Dawidowicz,
used with permission
This week arrived a wounded, lost penguin in Jeffreys Bay Penguin Rehabilitation (South Africa).
On itself not so special because thousands of african penguins live in that region.
But if you take a look at the picture, you see that it was a rockhopper that arrived there. This species normally lives almost thousand kilometres further on on Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen or Falklands Islands and Tristan da Cunha. (see also maps)
Besides that he is moulting and that he has an injury to his one foot his condition seems rather good.
They gave him the name Hopper.

Source: E-mail from Erica Dawidowicz at Jeffreys Bay Penguin Rehabilitation Fund
Rambling giant icebergs endanger penguin chicks (Antarctica - 14 January 2002)

Tens of thousands of baby penguins face starvation after two giant icebergs broke off the Antarctic ice sheet and blocked their parents' access to feeding areas, a New Zealand government agency said Friday.

Source: Yahoo News and BBC news
Ice buildup hampers penguin breeding in Antarctica (17 January 2002)

More news about the emperor and adélie penguins at Cape Crozier, Antarctica
The colony of about 1200 emperor penguins at Cape Crozier failed to raise any chicks this year.
The adélie penguin colony at Cape Crozier - the sixest largest adélie colony in the world - is home to about 140000 breeding pairs. Only about 30 percent of the normal number of pairs laid eggs.

Source: National Geographic
World's oldest captive penguin died (Japan - 13 February 2002)

In Nagasaki Aquarium, Japan, Ginkichi died at an age of 41. Ginkichi was a male king penguin, caught in 1962 in Antarctica when he was about 2 years old. He had been at the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium for 39 years and nine months, the keepers said. The keepers said they plan to hold a memorial service and a photo exhibition, among other activities, and to have Ginkichi stuffed and displayed at the aquarium.

Source: Discovery Planet and Japan Times
Ancient penguins yield evolution clue (Antarctica - 21 March 2002)

Researchers found valuable clues to the pace of evolution in the bones of long-dead penguins recovered in the Antarctic. One even died almost 8000 years ago.
Now they found out by studying the DNA of it, that the molecular clock is ticking much faster than previously thought.
"The molecular clock is a way of dating species and how long ago they separated from a common ancestor", said Tom Gilbert, of Oxford University's Biological Anthropology and Zoology department.
By studying the DNA of those bones, they can indicate mutations of it. Mutations in DNA occur when two species evolve apart and so they can examine the evolution of a species.

Source: BBC News

Penguin news from April - June 2002

Look out: These are older news flashes, so it's quite possible some links/sources doesn't work properly anymore!

Patter of tiny flippers at London Zoo (UK - 2 April 2002)

LONDON - World Cup fever has gripped London Zoo as celebrity penguin couple Posh and Becks made their debut for the cameras.

Two young african penguin chicks are named after England soccer captain and his wife.

Source: Planet Ark
South pole penguins debut in Beijing (China - 5 April 2002)

Ten penguins made their debut in the Museum of Science and Technology in Beijing (China).

Source: Xinhua News Agency
Penguins trial plastic tag (UK - 30 April 2002)

British researchers developed a new innovative plastic tag to help keep track of penguins. The silicon-rubber band is claimed not to interfere with the birds' natural behaviour as much as old metal tags.
The new bands are the brainchild of Dr. Peter Barham.

Source: BBC News
NoorderDierenPark is working on a new home for the humboldt penguins. (Netherlands - May 2002)

The Zoo in Emmen (Netherlands) builds a Peruvian coast with cliffs for humboldt penguins. In june 2002 they start a colony of 150 till 200 penguins. With large breeding success it even can increase till 300 birds. They perhaps have the largest humboldt penguin colony in a zoo.

Source: Noorder DierenPark Emmen
World Wildlife Fund salutes the male Emperor Penguin as one of "Nature's Best Dads." (11 June 2002)

For nine weeks, the male Emperor Penguin balances an egg on his feet -- keeping it off the cold ground and warm under his feathery tummy -- while the female heads out to sea to search for food. After the egg hatches, both penguin parents take turns in the care and feeding of their offspring.
For these reasons, the World Wildlife Fund salutes the male Emperor Penguin as one of "Nature's Best Dads."

Source: U.S. Newswire and WWF
Will dying penguins sink the Falklands? (19 June 2002)

Thousands of penguins found dead on the beach of Saunders Island, which is part of the Falklands. Till now they are not complete sure about the reason, but the prime suspect is a shortage of food and a drop in the sea temperature caused by the melting of Antarctic ice. The death toll so far is estimated up to 9000 rockhoppers and up to 1000 gentoos.

Source: BBC News and Falklands Conservation

Penguin news from July - September 2002

Look out: These are older news flashes, so it's quite possible some links/sources doesn't work properly anymore!

Berlin Zoo opened new enclosure for king penguins. (Germany - 2 July 2002)

The Berlin zoo opened a luxurious high-tech home for its 42 king penguins, giving them ice-cold pools, artificial rocks and even snow storms in which to chill out during summer heat waves.

Source: Planet Ark, Berliner Morgenpost (GE) and Berlin Online (GE)
Playa Pinguinos opens his doors. (Netherlands - 12 July 2002)

Noorder DierenPark in Emmen (NL) officially opened on 11 July 2002 a new home for the humboldt penguins.
They built a complete Peruvian coast where about 150 penguins will live. Their number will certainly increase a lot in the next years.
They also made a penguin school where human-like build penguin statues learn all they have to know for their life as a penguin.

Source: Noorder DierenPark Emmen
Over-fishing "behind penguin deaths" (Falklands - 26 July 2002)

The reason for the thousands penguins (2067 rockhopper and 509 gentoo) that died at the Falklands last season is over-fishing, according to Dr. Mike Bingham, of the non-government Falklands Environmental Research Unit.
"The penguins died of starvation during their annual moult, because they were unable to find enough fish and squid to build up body fatreserves prior to their annual moult.
More than a quarter of the entire rockhopper colony and 10 % of the gentoo population at the Falklands is death, and still no extra protective measures are proposed by the Falklands Islands Government and the fish control measures only protect the financial sustainability of fish stocks rather than wildlife."

Source: The Antarctican
Penguin on the loose (USA - 13 August 2002)

One of four Magellanic penguin chicks, hatched in May at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma (Washington), was missing when zoo employees checked early Friday. There were no signs of a predator attack or break-in, so zoo staff concluded the bird had waddled the coop.

Source: Washington Post
West Nile virus kills penguin at N.Y. Zoo (USA - 16 August 2002)

The West Nile virus, spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, infected and killed a penguin at the Zoo in New York.

Source: Yahoo news and Seneca Park Zoo in New York
Penguins covered by oil are fed at S.O.S Rescue Marine Environment (Uruguay - 19 August 2002)

More than 150 magellanic penguins appeared on the beaches in Montevideo (Uruguay), covered by oil, but so far the authorities doesn't have an explanation about the origin of the spilling.

Source: Planet Ark
Sighting of penguins allays fears (Antarctica - 28 August 2002)

The discovery of a large rookery of Emperor penguins in Antarctica has raised hopes the birds have not been badly affected by a huge iceberg, Yahoo/Reuters reports.
There were fears last year (see news of january 2002, down on this page) that a massive iceberg and large amount of sea ice had caused huge loss of life in Emperor and Adelie penguin colonies at Cape Crozier on Ross Island.
The penguins were photographed by researchers on a United States Air Force plane returning to New Zealand from a mid-winter resupply flight to bases on the island.

Source: Yahoo/Reuters
Rescued penguins in surf at Punta Del Este (Uruguay - 14 September 2002)

More than 150 magellanic penguins, covered by oil weeks ago, were rescued by members of S.O.S Rescue Marine Environment, and were freed in the Uruguayan seaside resort of Punta del Este after being cleaned and fed.

Source: PlanetArk

Penguin news from October - December 2002

Look out: These are older news flashes, so it's quite possible some links/sources doesn't work properly anymore!

New German book about penguins is out!! (7 October 2002)

'Pinguine- Specialisten fürs Kalte'
written by Prof. Culik,
Published by BLV Verlagsgesellschaft mbH in 2002,
ISBN 3-405-16318-8.

I bought it on Friday and I only can strongly recommend it to all penguinlovers.
It has 160 pages with recent information about penguin-research, 171 wonderful color pictures and 17 maps.
Exhibition about Antarctica and penguins!! (Swiss - 13 October 2002)

In St. Gallen (CH) you can visit an exhibition about Antarctica and penguins. Specially devoted to the famous penguin photographer Bruno Penguin Zehnder, who made beautiful pictures of emperors in Antarctica.
The exhibition is still open till November 11th, 2002.

Source: Unter Pinguinen and Naturmuseum St. Gallen (GE)
Iceberg blockade threatens penguin colony (Antarctica - 8 November 2002)

Encroaching icebergs have scattered one of the oldest known colonies of Antarctic Emperor penguins, and are disrupting their breeding, Yahoo/Reuters reports. The two giant icebergs also seem to be keeping the penguins from gathering food to feed their chicks.
The colony, at Cape Crozier on Ross Island, is one of the first ever visited by people, in 1911.
Earlier this year the same two icebergs were threatening a colony of Adelie penguins.

Source: Yahoo News, National Science Foundation and BBC
Thousands of dead penguins washed ashore in Brazil (8 November 2002)

A storm in high seas drove thousands of penguins to the shores of southern Brazil, where the animals starved to death, environmental authorities said Friday. Brazil's environmental enforcement agency Ibama this week found an estimated 3,500 dead penguins on beaches of Brazil's southernmost state Rio Grande do Sul, about 1,200 kilometers (650 miles) southwest of Rio de Janeiro. The agency also found dozens of dead dolphins and several dead sea lions on the beach.

Source: Yahoo news
The film "City Slickers" is nominated for an international Emmy Award (South Africa - 14 November 2002)

The film "City slickers", made by South African wildlife film-maker Trevor de Kock, tells the story of 2 african penguins, Henry and Margot, in Boulders Beach near Simonstown.
It's a Pelican Pictures & Off The Fence Production for Animal Planet/Discovery.
The video can be ordered from SANCCOB

Source: South African Film site and Off the fence
Pint-sized penguin plumbs new depths.. (Australia - 5 December 2002)

A study of little penguins is being conducted at Phillip Island in Victoria (Australia).
Project leader Doctor Andre Chiaradia says a male little penguin was recorded at a depth of 57 metres, three metres deeper than the birds were previously known to dive.
Knowing they only measures about 30 cm it is quite an amazing prestation. And more over they can make 700 dives in one day on average and they got one bird that did 1300 dives in one day, he also said.

Source: ABC Online
Push to protect penguin colony (Australia - 6 December 2002)

Warrnambool City Council is urging people to help protect Middle Island's little penguin colony and fragile environment during the busy summer period. The council is in the final stages of constructing a raised boardwalk to help protect the island and has also erected fencing in an effort to stop dogs and foxes preying on the resident penguins.
While finishing the project, they urge visitors to stay on the boardwalk.
The island is situated within the newly proclaimed Merri River Mouth Marine Sanctuary where all marine life is protected.

Source: The Standard
Unexplained penguin deaths: bodies litter west beaches (Falklands - 6 December 2002)

Many dead and dying penguins have been seen on beaches around the Falklands Islands over the past weeks. Several possibilities like starvation, posoining and/or disease, could cause these deaths.
Falklands Conservation is appealing for anybody seeing other penguin colonies in trouble to contact them, and to collect freshly dead penguins for autopsy if at all possible.

Source: Merco Press
Albino penguin "one-in-a-million" in Bristol Zoo. (UK - 13 December 2002)

A six-week-old albino African penguin chick, hatched at Bristol Zoo, has made its first public appearance. The chick, named Snowdrop, was born alongside its black-and-white sibling and keepers suspected it was a first among zoos. Picture: © Peter Barham, used with permission.

Source: BBC
Penguin plague strikes Falklands (15 December 2002)

On the Falkland Islands the massive death of penguins still continues.
Researchers and scientists are searching for a possible cause. It seems that opinion is starting to favour a 'red tide' event, leading to poisoning of birds and top predators.
A Falklands Conservation spokesman said : "Red tides are caused by dinoflagellates, a microscopic red phytoplankton which blooms under certain conditions to dangerous levels in the water. These tiny plants are fed on by larger animals which concentrate the toxins in their tissues."

Source: BBC
Ice-breaker may save penguins from starvation (Antarctica - 30 December 2002)

A celebrated penguin colony facing extinction is likely to get its last chance at survival when a United States coastguard icebreaker arrives on Thursday, a US polar official said.

Source: IOL news and Australian News