Sphenisco Chile at the Expo in Osaka 2025 (1)
La Serena, October 18, 2025. The Humboldt penguin played an important role in the Chilean pavilion at Expo 2025. Chile was represented at the Expo by its mascot, “Chiri-Chan.” The character was a good representation of the penguin species typical of the Humboldt Current. (2)
The Fundación Sphenisco Chile was invited to provide information about its commitment to preserving this special species and its habitat during Chilean Wine Week. (3) At the Wines of Chile stand, the foundation presented a video about the Humboldt penguin, its habitat, and the work of Sphenisco Chile, and promoted support for species conservation (see comment in English below and video in Spanish with the pictures).
This international event was an excellent opportunity to highlight the ecological importance of the Humboldt penguin: an endemic species in the Humboldt Current ecosystem and a representative symbol of biodiversity in northern Chile. It was also another chance to raise awareness about threats like the expansion of industrial fishing in its feeding grounds and big industrial projects like mega-ports, desalination plants, and mines.
“We are very proud that the Humboldt penguin was chosen as the symbol (4) to represent Chile worldwide. By participating in this event, we were able to showcase not only the beauty of this species, but also our region's commitment to its conservation and our organization's environmental education efforts,” emphasized Nancy Duman, president of Sphenisco Chile.
During the six-month duration of the exhibition, more than two million people, including Japanese and international tourists, visited the Chilean pavilion. With an average of 12,000 visitors per day, the pavilion was one of the most visited exhibitions in Latin America. The official mascot of the Chilean pavilion was “Chiri-Chan.” The name is a combination of the name of the country (Chile) and “Chan,” a Japanese suffix that expresses affection and closeness. It is used to refer to close relatives, especially children, close friends, and pets.
Expo Osaka 2025 has established itself as an important platform for promoting Chile's natural wealth and encouraging global action to protect biodiversity in the face of the ecological challenges of the 21st century.
Fundación Sphenisco Chile
Commentary on the video “¿Qué hacemos?” (5)
The cold waters of the Pacific Ocean are home to a unique treasure, a symbol of the great Humboldt Current ecosystem: the Humboldt penguin. A species that could disappear in less than 50 years if we do not act today to protect its precious ecosystem.
Our organization, Sphenisco, was founded in Germany thanks to the vision of Gabriele Knauf, an extraordinary woman who fell in love with Humboldt penguins. Thanks to her work and legacy, we are now present in three countries with activities focused on conservation and environmental education: Germany, Peru, and Chile, where the largest population of this species lives.
In Chile, the foundation works with communities, organizations, scientists, and academics to protect the Humboldt penguin and its habitat.
Our projects aim to educate, inspire, and encourage action.
Through environmental education, we are training new generations to care about nature.
We support scientific research to understand and protect this charismatic bird and its habitat, the rich ecosystem of the Humboldt Archipelago. In Chile, the foundation works with communities, organizations, scientists, and academics to conserve the Humboldt penguin and its habitat.
Thanks to the environmental education programs we support, the book “Dando Valor al Archipiélago de Humboldt” (Valuing the Humboldt Archipelago) has been published. This educational resource was developed in collaboration with teachers, students, and local communities.
We also promoted creativity, reading, and environmental protection with the literary contest “Archipiélago de Humboldt en 110 palabras” (The Humboldt Archipelago in 110 Words).
In addition, we conduct workshops for teachers on environmental education and have curated the traveling exhibition “Exploremos el Archipiélago: Fuente de Vida para la Humanidad” (Let's explore the archipelago: Source of life for humanity). The exhibition presents photos of flora and fauna, infographics on the region's wealth and traditional economic activities.
The Humboldt Archipelago is a place of hope for the protection of the world's oceans. Every action, every project, and every voice contributes to its protection.
At Sphenisco, we believe that preserving the Humboldt penguin also means protecting our future, our culture, and our identity.
Join us! Together we can make a difference.
notes
For better readability, the generic masculine form is used in this article. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms used in this article refer to all genders.
(1) Translation with deepl of the article “Sphenisco Chile estuvo presente en la Expo Osaka 2025” (Sphenisco Chile was represented at Expo Osaka 2025). https://www.sphenisco.cl/noticias
(2) Chiri-Chan was Chile's mascot for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan. Chiri Chan is a Humboldt penguin who represented the country during the event. The name is a combination of the country name “Chile” and the Japanese suffix “Chan,” which expresses affection. The character is intended to remind us of the importance of protecting our planet's waters, creatures, and stories.
(3) The activities took place on September 15, 16, 17, and 19, 2025, and lasted up to 2 hours per day.
(4) The name was chosen through an online vote in the run-up to the Expo.
(5) The video “What are we doing?” (3 min.) was produced by Sphenisco Chile for Expo 2025 in Osaka.
translated by Claudia Fawer
