Landau, October 24, 2026: On December 1, Lisa Kern from Karlsruhe will start part-time as Managing Director at Sphenisco. She studies biology, geography and education. She already has her bachelor's degree, and she plans to complete her master's degree in 2027. Although young in years, she is already an "old" zoo educator and conservationist.

Landau, October 1, 2026

C H I L E

+++Research for survival+++
During the referenced period, several reports were submitted on research sponsored or supported by Sphenisco:
1. Investigations on foraging in November and December 2025 by Ursula Ellenberg (1), Maximiliano Daigre Valdés (2). See article "On the trail of the Humboldt penguins - fieldwork on the islands of Cachagua and Choros from 13 September 2026”.
2. Reproductive behavior and breeding success of the Humboldt penguin by Guillermo Luna-Jorquera (3), Nicolás Luna (3) (4), Karen Lau (3), Mylene Seguel (3) (5). See article "Breeding activity of the Humboldt penguin on the islands of Chañaral and Choros, 2021 to 2025" from 14 August 2026.
3. Migration of Humboldt penguins after the breeding season of M. Daigre (2), P. Arce (6) and A. Simeone (2) (6). See article "Satellite monitoring of Humboldt penguins during the breeding season on the island of Cachagua, central Chile" from 2 September. All report on this website.

Nuremberg, September 28, 2026

Part 1:
“What Helps Spectacled and Humboldt Penguins?”
“Why Count Penguins?”
“From Prediction to Preparing Conservation Measures”
“El Niño—Impact on the Breeding Activity and Success of Humboldt Penguins”

From August 31 to September 4, 2026, the 12th International Penguin Conference took place on Phillip Island, Australia, where Sphenisco e.V. was also represented with various presentations. Scientists Dr. Ursula Ellenberg (1) and Dr. Alejandro Simeone (2) gave presentations in which they shared research findings on population size, breeding success, and foraging behavior—research that has been and continues to be supported by Sphenisco e.V. (with assistance from the Species Conservation Foundation of the Karlsruhe Zoo, the Dresden Zoo, and the Friends of Hagenbeck Zoo Association).

Nuremberg, 28 September 2026

Part 2
"Decline of Humboldt penguins in Chile and Peru"
"News about foraging of Humboldt penguins"
"Methods for counting Humboldt penguins"
"New technologies for use in penguin research"

Day 3, 02.09.2026
On the third day of the conference, further lectures on research results on Humboldt penguins loomed large: In his lecture "Declining Humboldt penguins in Chile: trends, possible causes and future perspectives" (1), Dr. Alejandro Simeone presented the results of monitoring programs on the population development of Humboldt penguins in Chile, also funded by Sphenisco e.V.

Declaration of the 12th International Penguin Conference

Phillip Island / Milawul, Australia, September 15, 2026.

Penguins live on the front line of environmental change.
From the icy seas of Antarctica to the temperate and tropical coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and South America, penguins depend on healthy oceans for their survival. As the oceans change, the consequences are reflected in where penguins find food, when they breed, how successfully they raise their chicks, and ultimately, whether their populations are growing or shrinking.

Landau, August 3, 2026
C H I L E
+++“Show Your Face!” Initiative+++
In early June, Fundación Sphenisco Chile reached out to political leaders and the public—both through a letter and in person—to advocate for better protection of Humboldt penguins. In doing so, the foundation referred to the “Show Your Face!” initiative and the report on World Penguin Day. https://sphenisco.org/es/startseite-es/news-es/welt-pinguin-tag-im-zeichen-der-krise-des-humboldt-pinguins-es

Landau, February 2, 2026

C H I L E

+++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).