Landau, 1st of June
C H I L E
+++Population of Humboldt penguins+++
The last three breeding seasons have been cancelled due to a lack of food. El Niño and bird flu have reduced the Humboldt penguin population (see article ‘El Niño and ...’ from 25th of February 2025). It is only unclear how great the losses are. On 26th of May, researchers led by Dr Alexandro Simeone began to count breeding pairs again on the island of Pan de Azucar (1). Further counts are planned for June on the islands of Grande de Atacama, Ramada and Chañaral. In addition, GPS loggers and video cameras will again be used to investigate foraging behaviour on the islands of Choros and Chachagua, where breeding pairs will also be counted. Further counts are to be carried out on other important Chilean gross islands in October and November. The six-year research project is being funded by the Species Conservation Foundation of Karlsruhe Zoo, Dresden Zoo and the Hagenbeck Zoo Friends' Association.