More than 13,000 seal pups have died on an Australian territory, as testing confirmed the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu among penguins, seals and petrels on subantarctic islands. The mass mortality of southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth and 1,700km north of Antarctica, was observed by government scientists […]
Tag: gentoo penguins
“An entire colony of breeding penguins disappeared.” Bird flu is out of control – now it’s reached the Antarctic
On 23rd October 2023, a short press release from the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands reported that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) – what we mostly shorten to bird flu – had been detected on the wildlife-rich islands of South Georgia. It was the moment that this deadly form of the virus officially […]
Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads
The gentoo penguin has become the first bird to test positive for the H5N1 bird flu on an Australian territory, with samples confirming the virus has spread on a sub-Antarctic island. The deadly and contagious strain of bird flu, which has already killed millions of seabirds, wild birds and poultry overseas, was confirmed in southern […]
MPs call for release of 15 penguins ‘trapped’ at London aquarium
A group of 75 MPs are calling for the release of 15 penguins “trapped” in a small enclosure “without sunlight or fresh air” at the Sea Life London Aquarium. Housing the 15 gentoo penguins at the attraction on the South Bank was “un-British”, said the leader of the campaign. Members of parliament from across the […]
Pressure grows for release of penguins ‘trapped’ at London aquarium
Dozens of British lawmakers have called for the release of 15 penguins “trapped” at a London aquarium without access to daylight or fresh air, saying their living conditions are “utterly unacceptable.” The 15 Gentoo penguins are housed in an enclosure at the Sea Life London Aquarium, located next to the River Thames, a short distance […]
Mercury Pollution Detected in Antarctic Penguins
In a new study, scientists have confirmed mercury contamination in Antarctic penguins and are raising alarms that this pollutant and its impact on birds mimics the spread of DDT uncovered in the 1960s. Despite the lack of humans near the penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula, researchers have confirmed mercury contamination in these birds. According to […]
Microplastics are sickening and killing wildlife, disrupting Earth systems
Bottlenose dolphins leapt and torpedoed through the shallow turquoise waters off Florida’s Sarasota Bay. Then, a research team moved in, quickly corralling the small pod in a large net. With the speed of a race car pit crew, veterinarians, biologists and their assistants examined the animals, checking vital signs while taking skin, blood and other […]