Melting sea ice and overfishing have triggered a dangerously rapid decline in penguin populations on the Antarctic Peninsula – a direct result of global warming, warns a new report from the WWF.
The gentoo, chinstrap and adélie – along with the emperor, the largest penguin species in the world – are now struggling to survive as melting sea ice destroys nesting sites and reduces vital food sources, such as krill.
Warmer temperatures are forcing penguins to raise their young on increasingly thinner and more precarious ice floes, while stronger winds mean many eggs and chicks are being blown away from their parents before they are able to survive on their own.
I have seen these in the wild a magnificent bird, truly wonderful to watch.
