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Chile's Humboldt penguins could face termination as population plummets

The Humboldt penguin population has actually significantly decreased in locations along the main coast of Chile, making them among the most vulnerable of the world's 18 penguin species and putting them at risk of termination, specialists caution.

Last year, scientists surveyed 2 islands off the central Chilean coast and found 842 breeding pairs or active nests. This year they found simply one reproducing set.

Paulina Arce, a vet who specializes in penguins, says that penguin populations in all islands surveyed reduced or stayed the very same.

This could result in a lot more drastic situation, which might be the extinction of the types, Arce said.

Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) populate colonies along the Pacific coasts of Chile and Peru. They get their name since they bathe in the cold Humboldt Current. These flightless birds can weigh up to 5 kg (11 pounds) and determine up to 70 cm (2 feet 3 inches) tall when grownups.

Diego Penaloza, president of the Safari Preservation Structure, states the main risks to penguins in the wild are marine contamination, lack of pet supervision, and disruption of nesting websites.

In addition, avian flu, exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, has actually damaged penguin populations and other wildlife. As an outcome, Humboldt penguin recreation rates have plummeted to nearly zero, according to Javiera Meza, head of Biodiversity Preservation at nationwide forestry office Conaf.

It was the bird flu plus the El Nino phenomenon that moved all the food towards the southern zone, and for that reason, in the whole northern Chile, recreation dropped to almost absolutely no levels, and on top of that, numerous penguins died, Meza said. It was like the best storm.

(source: Reuters)