Coquimbo, Landau, 12 August 2026.
Since 2021, a research group led by Dr. Alejandro Simeone (1) has been conducting research on the population, breeding success and foraging of the Humboldt penguin in Chile on behalf of Sphenisco. The project is funded by the Karlsruhe Zoo Conservation Foundation, Dresden Zoo and the Hagenbeck Zoo Association. Guillermo Luna-Jorquera (2), Nicolás Luna (2) (3), Karen Lau (2), Mylene Seguel (2) (4) submitted a final report in August 2026 regarding the breeding success in the period 2021 to 2025. The report is entitled "Reproductive behaviour of the Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) on the islands of Chañaral and Choros in the "Pingüino de Humboldt" National Reserve, period 2021–2025" (see PDF file). The researchers plan to publish the report in a journal. Excerpts and short chapters are reproduced below:

Karlsruhe, August 11, 2026. The island of Choros in Chile is a popular breeding area for Humboldt penguins. Some of them even breed in the middle of the island, which is about 500 m wide. Due to the strong differences in elevation, they overcome up to 300 (!) meters in altitude to get to the coast and the sea. This example alone shows how much there is still to discover about the life of Humboldt penguins on the coasts of Chile and Peru.

Landau, August 3, 2026
C H I L E
+++“Show Your Face!” Initiative+++
In early June, Fundación Sphenisco Chile reached out to political leaders and the public—both through a letter and in person—to advocate for better protection of Humboldt penguins. In doing so, the foundation referred to the “Show Your Face!” initiative and the report on World Penguin Day. https://sphenisco.org/es/startseite-es/news-es/welt-pinguin-tag-im-zeichen-der-krise-des-humboldt-pinguins-es

La Serena, Landau, 29 July 2026. These were the worst storms in the regions of Coquimbo and Atacama in decades. At least ten people were killed, many were injured. Due to impassable roads and power outages, around 100,000 people were cut off from the outside world for days and in some cases without drinking water for longer. More than a thousand people had to be accommodated in emergency shelters. The damage to houses, roads and port facilities is enormous, the full extent cannot yet be estimated.

Landau, July 17, 2026. It has now become a tradition: Sphenisco’s general meetings consistently take place in high temperatures. For years, we’ve experienced this firsthand in the Landau Zoo School’s meeting room. Our board therefore had every reason to look for a location that might offer some relief from the heat even without air conditioning in midsummer. By choosing the community room at the assisted living facility on the Bethesda Campus in Landau, the board made a good and wise decision, as Werner Knauf had personal experience with the location and therefore highly recommended it.

La Serena, July 14, 2026.
The “Literary Contest” initiative collected submissions from the provinces of Elqui, Limarí, and Choapa, thereby using literature to help promote appreciation for and protection of one of the most important marine ecosystems in Chile and the world.
At a press conference on Monday, July 13, the jury of the second “Humboldt Archipelago in 110 Words” literary contest announced the names of the winners in the children’s, youth, and adult categories.

Landau, July 17, 2026.
On August 5 at 4:00 p.m., Dr. Thomas Mattern will give a lecture at the Karlsruhe Zoo on the topic “Humboldt Penguins: A Species with a Future—If We Want It.” The experienced New Zealand penguin researcher will explore the following questions: How are Humboldt penguins faring in the wild? What threats face the species—and what opportunities remain to ensure its survival?

Landau, May 25
The NGO Acorema (Peru) and the Fundación Sphenisco Chile launched the campaign “¡Salvemos juntos al pingüino de Humboldt!” (1) to mark World Penguin Day 2026. The survival of Humboldt penguins is threatened by highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), El Niño, overfishing, bycatch, and disturbances or destruction of breeding sites. As of the end of 2025, the Chilean population had declined by 63% compared to 2021/22. Currently, there are only 1,001 breeding pairs remaining (2). This sharp decline prompted Chilean authorities to upgrade the species’ conservation status from “vulnerable” to “endangered.” In Peru, the population declined by 70% in 2024 compared to 2023. At the beginning of 2024, only 5,035 molting penguins were counted (3). The sharp decline in the population could be dramatically exacerbated by a new outbreak of avian influenza—detected in Chile in March 2026—and an El Niño phenomenon forecast for late 2026.

Landau, April 21, 2026. Since August last year, the marine rescue center in Coquimbo, northern Chile, has been caring for injured and sick marine animals. Sphenisco has repeatedly reported on the project’s progress, most recently on December 6, 2025, and January 25, respectively January 2026. The center is jointly operated by the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) (1), Sernapesca (2), the NGO Conservación Humboldt (3), and Sphenisco. The sick marine animals are cared for by veterinarians and animal caretakers of the NGO Conservación Humboldt. With support from the zoos in Dresden, Frankfurt, and Halle, Sphenisco financed the renovation of the station and covered the operating costs for one year. In early April 2026, Conservación Humboldt submitted, as planned, the second report—covering the period from December 2025 to March 2026—on the progress of the project (4):