PETS
PENGUINS IN PERIL By Michael LaChance
hey’re sports mascots and cartoon characters, holiday decorations, and stuffed toys. No doubt about it, the power of this black-and-white creature rules. Penguins are a hit with their quirky charm. But it’s going to take more than a pop-culture obsession for these sleek, entertaining, and endearing birds to survive. Penguins are flightless birds that breed in colonies, have Happy Feet, and are sometimes called Chilly Willy—there’s also no denying that they’re extremely cute (and well-dressed: hello tuxedo coats!) creatures. These Southern Hemisphere birds live and breed in colonies, and like most wildlife, need our help. Luckily, many organizations are working to fight climate change, disturbance to habitat, and other things that put these picture-perfect birds at risk. We spoke to leaders in this avian rescue community to see what’s affecting penguins and how we can help.
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT It’s no longer possible to ignore the effects of climate change. As Pablo Garcia Borboroglu from the Global Penguin Society explains, “The earth’s current climate change is no longer a prediction. It is unequivocal and when combined with other threats, there’s a direct impact on the iconic penguin species. Some Antarctic regions are warming much faster than the average rate of the earth’s overall warming. Alterations in the patterns of ice formation and melting, together with increasing rain and snow precipitations, have changed breeding and feeding habitat quality and availability.” Rosalie Goldsworthy, from Penguin Rescue NZ, tells us disease is an issue, too. “Climate change is affecting the distribution of mosquitoes and adding to the prevalence of avian malaria,” she says, adding, “Coastal erosion is reducing access to nest sites for penguins, and Little Penguins are adversely affected by storm events at sea.” Pablo tells us temperate species (outside Antarctic regions) are also altered by climate variation. And, since they don’t fly and travel for food, climate change can hinder their survival. Dr. Katta Ludynia from Southern African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) tells us about the shifts in fish distribution and changes in African penguins’ most important prey: sardine and anchovy. “The lack of fish has dramatic effects on many of South Africa’s seabirds, especially the African penguin. Climate change also negatively affects their breeding as extreme weather events (heat waves, cold spells and storms) lead to nest abandonment,” she says. This affects the Little Penguin species too. Roland Pick from the Penguin Foundation says, “they feed on pilchards, anchovies, squid and sea jellies from the ocean’s pelagic layer.” In ideal circumstances, this remains at a fairly constant temperature.” However, he says, “as ocean’s temperatures rise, the penguins preferred food source may move deeper into the ocean to avoid increasing water temperatures, into areas deeper than penguins can dive.”
Emperor and Chick ©J. Weller
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 85
