Landau, June 1, 2026

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+++World Penguin Day in Chile+++
To mark World Penguin Day, the NGO Acorema in Peru and the Fundación Sphenisco in Chile called on organizations and institutions in Chile, Peru, and Germany to take action under the slogan “Let’s save the Humboldt penguin together!”
The Fundación Sphenisco Chile itself initiated several activities. It launched a photo contest and published a statement on the critical situation of the population on social media. It also organized a workshop for students at the “Pingüino de Humboldt” National Reserve. From April 27 to 30, the foundation presented the photo exhibition “The Humboldt Penguin and Its Habitat” at four faculties of the University of La Serena, where it also held talks and a lecture (see the article “World Penguin Day in the Shadow of the Humboldt Penguin Crisis” from May 25, 2026). At the end of May, the Foundation announced the winners of the “#SalvemosAlPingüinodeHumboldt” (Let’s save the Humboldt penguin) photo contest.

Landau, May 25
The NGO Acorema (Peru) and the Fundación Sphenisco Chile launched the campaign “¡Salvemos juntos al pingüino de Humboldt!” (1) to mark World Penguin Day 2026. The survival of Humboldt penguins is threatened by highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), El Niño, overfishing, bycatch, and disturbances or destruction of breeding sites. As of the end of 2025, the Chilean population had declined by 63% compared to 2021/22. Currently, there are only 1,001 breeding pairs remaining (2). This sharp decline prompted Chilean authorities to upgrade the species’ conservation status from “vulnerable” to “endangered.” In Peru, the population declined by 70% in 2024 compared to 2023. At the beginning of 2024, only 5,035 molting penguins were counted (3). The sharp decline in the population could be dramatically exacerbated by a new outbreak of avian influenza—detected in Chile in March 2026—and an El Niño phenomenon forecast for late 2026.

Landau, April 21, 2026. Since August last year, the marine rescue center in Coquimbo, northern Chile, has been caring for injured and sick marine animals. Sphenisco has repeatedly reported on the project’s progress, most recently on December 6, 2025, and January 25, respectively January 2026. The center is jointly operated by the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) (1), Sernapesca (2), the NGO Conservación Humboldt (3), and Sphenisco. The sick marine animals are cared for by veterinarians and animal caretakers of the NGO Conservación Humboldt. With support from the zoos in Dresden, Frankfurt, and Halle, Sphenisco financed the renovation of the station and covered the operating costs for one year. In early April 2026, Conservación Humboldt submitted, as planned, the second report—covering the period from December 2025 to March 2026—on the progress of the project (4):

Landau, April 2, 2026
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+++Wetlands Festival+++
In early February 2026, the City of Coquimbo and the NGO Oikonos hosted the first “Raíces del Humedal” festival in O’Higgins Park (1). To mark World Wetlands Day (February 2), they invited numerous organizations—including Fundación Sphenisco Chile—to organize a day dedicated to education, knowledge, learning, and the protection of the Peñuelas area. The aim was to raise awareness of the importance of “wetlands” and to highlight the value of these ecosystems. In addition, the campaign sought to bring public attention to individuals and organizations that are committed to protecting wetlands. Fundación Sphenisco Chile focused its efforts on the Humboldt penguin. Throughout the day, there were creative workshops, artistic performances, scientific activities, and community events for all age groups. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9u_lbkZxk

Landau, March 27, 2026. The Humboldt penguin population has been severely reduced in recent years due to factors including the El Niño climate phenomenon, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, overfishing, bycatch, and disturbances at breeding sites (1). Avian influenza (H5N1) has recently been detected again in Chile. On March 4, 2026, the State Agency for Agriculture and Livestock (SAG) confirmed the presence of wild animals in the Valparaíso region. Meteorologists are predicting a “super El Niño” for the end of the year. (2) As if all this were not threatening enough, President Kast’s new government is also halting the implementation of the “Humboldt Penguin Natural Monument” project. In doing so, those in charge are depriving this species—whose very existence is under serious threat—of potential protection (see “Kast Administration Halts ...” March 19, 2026).

Landau 25 March 2026. Dr. Alejandro Simeone has presented new figures on the population of Humboldt penguins (1) and confirmed the sharp reduction in the population - by 63% compared to 2021/22 - also for Chile. The current surveys are part of a 6-year research project commissioned by Sphenisco and are funded by the Karlsruhe Zoo Species Conservation Foundation, the Friends of Hagenbeck Zoo and the Dresden Zoo. The following text presents the most important result and the discussion of the results. Summaries, introduction, material and methods, further results, full discussion, acknowledgements and literature can be found in the full report (1) (2) (to be submitted later).

Landau, March 19, 2026. A month ago, Sphenisco reported on the designation of the Humboldt penguin as a natural monument. This status enhances the protection of this critically endangered penguin species. The joy was short-lived. Just one week after taking office, the new Kast administration put the designation on hold and announced that it would conduct a technical and legal review. There is concern that the decision will be reversed or put on the back burner. Like many other Chilean media outlets, the Radio BioBio online portal (1) also reported on the matter and provided a detailed account of the assessment by scientist Dr. Alejandro Simeone:

Landau, February 24, 2026.
Civil society groups in Chile and penguin lovers around the world can hardly believe it. First, on February 13, 2026, the Humboldt penguin was declared a natural monument by the Chilean government, thereby improving protection for this endangered species. Then, just eight days later, environmentalists celebrated another major success. On February 21, 2026, the Chilean judiciary's online portal reports on the Dominga project: "The Antofagasta Court of Appeals overturns all measures ordered by the First Environmental Court" (1).

Landau, February 2, 2026

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+++Literary competition “The Humboldt Archipelago in 110 words”+++
Following the great success of the literature competition in 2024, Fundación Sphenisco Chile announced that it would be holding the competition again at the end of 2025. The deadline for entries has now been extended to March 31, 2026. The winners can look forward to sailing trips to the Humboldt Archipelago (including a companion) and through the “Pingüino de Humboldt” nature reserve with observations of marine animals. The project is supported by the municipality of La Higuera, international organizations such as Sphenisco e.V., the sponsors Rostock Zoo and Ouwehand Zoo Foundation, as well as national and local organizations (see also article “Second Literature Competition...” from November 9, 2025).