Landau, October 1, 2026

C H I L E

+++Research for survival+++
During the referenced period, several reports were submitted on research sponsored or supported by Sphenisco:
1. Investigations on foraging in November and December 2025 by Ursula Ellenberg (1), Maximiliano Daigre Valdés (2). See article "On the trail of the Humboldt penguins - fieldwork on the islands of Cachagua and Choros from 13 September 2026”.
2. Reproductive behavior and breeding success of the Humboldt penguin by Guillermo Luna-Jorquera (3), Nicolás Luna (3) (4), Karen Lau (3), Mylene Seguel (3) (5). See article "Breeding activity of the Humboldt penguin on the islands of Chañaral and Choros, 2021 to 2025" from 14 August 2026.
3. Migration of Humboldt penguins after the breeding season of M. Daigre (2), P. Arce (6) and A. Simeone (2) (6). See article "Satellite monitoring of Humboldt penguins during the breeding season on the island of Cachagua, central Chile" from 2 September. All report on this website.

Nuremberg, September 28, 2026

Part 1:
“What Helps Spectacled and Humboldt Penguins?”
“Why Count Penguins?”
“From Prediction to Preparing Conservation Measures”
“El Niño—Impact on the Breeding Activity and Success of Humboldt Penguins”

From August 31 to September 4, 2026, the 12th International Penguin Conference took place on Phillip Island, Australia, where Sphenisco e.V. was also represented with various presentations. Scientists Dr. Ursula Ellenberg (1) and Dr. Alejandro Simeone (2) gave presentations in which they shared research findings on population size, breeding success, and foraging behavior—research that has been and continues to be supported by Sphenisco e.V. (with assistance from the Species Conservation Foundation of the Karlsruhe Zoo, the Dresden Zoo, and the Friends of Hagenbeck Zoo Association).

There is no translation available for this article. Article in German.
No hay traducción disponible para este artículo. Artículo en alemán.

Nürnberg, 28. September 2026

2. Teil

„Rückgang der Humboldt-Pinguine in Chile und Peru“
„News über Nahrungssuche von Humboldt-Pinguinen“
„Methoden zur Zählung von Humboldt-Pinguinen“
„Neue Technologien zum Einsatz in der Pinguinforschung“

Tag 3, 02.09.2026

Am dritten Konferenztag nahmen weitere Vorträge zu Forschungsergebnissen zu Humboldtpinguinen einen bedeutenden Raum ein:

Dr. Alejandro Simeone präsentierte in seinem Vortrag „Declining Humboldt penguins in Chile: trends, possible causes and future perspectives“ (1) die Ergebnisse u.a. auch von Sphenisco e.V. geförderter Monitoringprogramme zur Bestandsentwicklung der Humboldtpinguine in Chile.

Declaration of the 12th International Penguin Conference

Phillip Island / Milawul, Australia, September 15, 2026.

Penguins live on the front line of environmental change.
From the icy seas of Antarctica to the temperate and tropical coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and South America, penguins depend on healthy oceans for their survival. As the oceans change, the consequences are reflected in where penguins find food, when they breed, how successfully they raise their chicks, and ultimately, whether their populations are growing or shrinking.

Landau 11. September 2026.
In the southern spring of 2025, researchers Dr. Ursula Ellenberg (1) and Maximiliano Daigre Valdés (2) once again investigated the foraging of Humboldt penguins from the islands of Cachagua and Choros in northern Chile. The research is part of the studies on population, breeding success and foraging that have been carried out since 2021 under the direction of Dr. Alejandro Simeone (3). The multi-year research project was commissioned by Sphenisco and is funded by the Karlsruhe Zoo Conservation Foundation, Dresden Zoo and the Hagenbeck Zoo Association.

Landau, September 7, 2026.
On the initiative of the NGO Oikonos, the Universidad Científica del Sur (Dr. Carlos Zavalaga, Peru), and Sphenisco, scientists, NGOs, and policymakers established a binational working group on August 24, 2026, dedicated to the conservation of Humboldt penguins.
The reason for this is the alarming decline in the population in Chile and Peru. The goal of the initiative is to analyze the current situation of the Humboldt penguin in both countries, identify conservation priorities, improve coordination and cooperation, and promote scientifically sound measures.

Landau, August 10, 2026.
From July through September 2025, M. Daigre (1), P. Arce (1), and A. Simeone (1,2) studied the migration of Humboldt penguins on behalf of the Antarctic Research Trust (ART) (3). Toward the end of the breeding season, the researchers fitted five penguins from the breeding island of Cachagua with satellite transmitters. Alejandro Simeone describes the monitoring as follows:

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.