There’s a new story flying around from The Independent on a colony of emperor penguins that was “effectively wiped out overnight” after a storm broke up the ice they were nesting on in Antarctica. Scientists say they see no signs of breeding in the area:
The world’s 2nd largest emperor penguin colony is believed to have been effectively wiped out overnight, with 1000s of chicks drowning after an ice shelf in Antarctica collapsed. Since the collapse in 2016, no breeding has been detected in the area. https://t.co/owl72VmAIF
— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) April 28, 2019
This is so sad, the people who didn’t read the article tweeted:
This has me in tears.
— Debra Miller (@Ddm4zebraDebra) April 28, 2019
And it’s the “end of the emperors”:
End of emperors. https://t.co/HlO80kEqnH
— Virginia Heffernan (@page88) April 28, 2019
Dumb humans, obviously!
This is so very tragic, the loss of these majestic creatures. What a mess we are making of our planet. https://t.co/Ot9aPb8a6G
— Susan McPherson (@susanmcp1) April 28, 2019
Now for the good news! The birds are safe and happily breeding at a nearby colony, which you’d know if you read the article and not just the headline:
While the Halley Bay colony has now all but disappeared, the nearby Dawson-Lambton colony has markedly increased in size, indicating that many of the adult emperors have moved there, seeking better breeding grounds as environmental conditions continue to change.
The birds’ rapid relocation to a more stable breeding ground is significant and is encouraging, the scientists say, as until now it was not known whether the penguins would seek alternative sites in response to significant changes in their local environment.
Life finds a way . . . again!
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