Every year the world celebrates the World Penguin Day on April 25th. But this year, there was nothing to celebrate about this beautiful day. Thanks to the collapsed ice shaft in Antarctica.
Due to the collapse, the world’s second largest emperor penguin colony has wiped out entirely overnight. Along with it, thousands of chicks are believed to have drowned in the sea.
Since 2016 there is no breeding detected in the area as a catastrophic collapse of the ice sheet took place at the Halley Bay.
The bay in the Weddell Sea was considered safe for penguins as it is one of the coldest parts of the continent.
Despite the climate change affecting the Antarctic sea ice, it was expected to be a suitable habitat for penguins, at least for this century.
But, there were no emperor penguins seen in the area ever since.
Halley Bay’s sea ice condition was stable for the last 6o years. But the 2016 collapse worsen the condition. And as the ice broke, it didn’t give the emperor chicks to fledge.
Halley Bay colony, which is the second largest colony of the emperor penguins has completely disappeared.
But the nearby colony, the Dawson-Lambton colony, however, has increased in size.
It is definitely surprising news because there were no records of the emperor penguins relocating looking for better alternatives.
However, it doesn’t make up for the colony of Halley Bay that is completely wiped out.
This is a desperate call for change. It is a warning sign of the effects of global warming and climate change that’s not only affecting humans but all living beings.
