Baby Penguins Thrown Across Rio Coasts
posted in Animal Species |Penguin rescuers and experts have reported that more than 400 hundred baby penguins have been washed ashore from the icy Patagonia and Antarctica shores to the Rio de Janeiro shores in the past two months.
Experts opine that though it is quiet common to witness both dead and alive penguins on the sea coasts of Rio de Janeiro owing to the harsh ocean currents coming from the Strait of Magellan, this year the numbers have certainly increased.
Rescuers are being efficiently divided to manage the sudden flock of dead penguins at the sea coast of Rio. Veterinarians like Thiago Muniz are of the opinion that due to the increased fishing, penguins are reaching further into the sea to catch fish, thereby becoming vulnerable to the strong ocean currents.
Muniz says that, Niteroi, the largest zoo has received as many as 100 penguins to be treated this year already. In addition, penguins are getting affected by the petroleum because of the Campos Oil field which lies on the coasts and supplies most of the oil to Brazil.
Muniz claims that no other pollutants are affecting the penguins except these two and yet the numbers to be treated are flocking at the zoo. Biologists who work with Muniz say that not just the oil from the Campos basin but the pollution is also leaving the penguins lungs vulnerable to infection and/pr bacterial invasion.
Some biologists though hold contradicting opinions like Erli Costa, who says that pollution may not be the case for penguins’ deaths. Instead, “global warming” could be a potential reason which often gave birth to strong cyclones and hence rough ocean currents which may have hit he young penguins in a large way.
Costa also explained that most of the penguins reported to be dead were one’s that just came out of their nest and were out in search for food. Hence, rough currents may have made it difficult for them to swim back to the shore.
It is also revealed that dozens of penguins attended to are airlifted back to the icy shore of Antarctica and Patagonia from the Brazil coasts.