Karlsruhe, August 11, 2026. The island of Choros in Chile is a popular breeding area for Humboldt penguins. Some of them even breed in the middle of the island, which is about 500 m wide. Due to the strong differences in elevation, they overcome up to 300 (!) meters in altitude to get to the coast and the sea. This example alone shows how much there is still to discover about the life of Humboldt penguins on the coasts of Chile and Peru.
This was exactly the topic of a lecture by Dr. Thomas Mattern at the Karlsruhe Zoo on August 5th. Mr. Mattern, who works at the University of Otago and represents the Global Penguin Society in New Zealand, researches various penguin species and is also intensively involved with Humboldt penguins on behalf of Sphenisco. For all interested parties who were unable to attend in person, the lecture was also broadcast online.
In his lecture, Thomas Mattern distinguished between the well-researched "Zoo Humboldt penguins" and their conspecifics, which live on the coasts of Peru and Chile. While a lot is already known about Humboldt penguins in zoos, there are still large gaps in knowledge about the life of Humboldt penguins in nature. This applies above all to their behavior in the water, although they spend about two-thirds of their lives there.
New technical possibilities can help to gradually close these gaps. Sphenisco enables and supports the researchers in this process. Particularly impressive insights are provided, for example, by small penguin body cams, a video compilation of which was also shown in the lecture. With such images, it was only recently observed that Humboldt penguins hunt for fish on the seafloor in significantly larger groups than previously assumed. In doing so, they seem to organize themselves socially and drive the fish towards each other in order to increase their food yield.
Drones also facilitate research. They get closer to the animals than humans without scaring the penguins to the same extent. At the same time, recordings are created that can be evaluated later in peace. For example, counts during moulting can be carried out much easier, more accurately and also more comprehensibly.
Such findings are not only scientifically interesting; they can also make a very concrete contribution to the protection of Humboldt penguins. Their main threats include climate change and fisheries. El Niño events have become more frequent and, due to the warming of the water, lead to changes in the whereabouts of fish, so that they are not available to the penguins as a source of food and then unfortunately starve to death. It is thus important to continue to work to mitigate climate change. However, in order to be able to help the Humboldt penguins directly, part of the hope lies in the interaction of research and fisheries.
The more precisely the behavior and everyday life of the Humboldt penguins living in Peru and Chile is known, the more specifically possible compromises can be discussed together with the fishermen. It would be conceivable, for example, to use purse seine and gillnet fishing, which is particularly dangerous for Humboldt penguins, in certain areas only at times when experience shows that there are hardly any penguins there. However, the prerequisite for this is to know as precisely as possible when and where the animals are on the move.
The fact that the relationship between fishing, human use and penguins is not always clear is also shown by new data from the area around the Isle of Cachagua. There, at the port of Quintero, an area where ships are moored, seems to attract Humboldt penguins in particular. One possible explanation for this is that the ships that are only "dormant" in this area, prevent active fishing and thus possibly create a rather undisturbed area. However, on the other hand, the polluted water of the Río Maipo, which flows into the sea, could endanger the penguins.
Despite all the dangers, the lecture also gave cause for hope. Much of what is known so far about Humboldt penguins indicates that the animals can react relatively flexibly to changes. They also seem to be coping better with the effects of bird flu than some reports in the media suggest.
Zoo Director Prof. Dr. Matthias Reinschmidt described the contribution afterwards as a "sensational lecture". The moving (and moving) shots as well as the exciting reports by Dr. Thomas Mattern made the fascination jump over to the audience. This enthusiasm was evident not least in the numerous questions that followed the lecture.
Research and commitment give hope for the future of the Humboldt penguins.
Lisa Kern
translated by Erich Greiner
