Landau, Dezember 8, 2024
C H I L E
+++Winners of the literary competition at the feminist book fair+++
The winners of the literary competition “Humboldt Archipelago with 110 Words” presented their prize-winning stories at the 5th Feminist Book Fair in La Serena and met with great response.
The book fair was organized by the feminist book network of the Coquimbo region and took place on 4 October in the San Francisco square in La Serena. At twelve stands, book and music publishers presented their products, organized author rounds and - as mentioned - offered space for the works of the winners of the “Humboldt Archipelago in 110 Words” competition to be presented. Nancy Duman from Sphenisco-Chile completed the presentations with a report on the process and significance of the competition.
On December 5 the award ceremony took place at the regional library in La Serena. On December 6, the winners received their prizes, an excursion to the Humboldt Archipelago. The trip was also attended by members of the winners' families as well as members of the jury.
As the response exceeded all expectations, Sphenisco-Chile is being urged from many sides to repeat the competition in 2025.
+++Video podcast “Sintonía Humboldt ”+++
Since August 12 the 2nd season of the weekly video podcast “Sintonía Humboldt”, which is sponsored by Bergzoo Halle and Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen, Netherlands, has been running. In October and November, the presenters Carla Parra and Rodrigo Muñoz talked about and discussed the following topics:
October 14
“Importance of Humboldt penguins and other seabirds” with Dr. Guillermo Luna-Jorquera (University Católica del Norte). Dr. Luna-Jorquera holds many years of experience in the field of seabird research.
October 21
“The important role of teachers in environmental education” with José Luis Pizarro Cortés, Professor of Biology and Natural Sciences.
October 28
“Marine conservation and ecology of marine communities” with Dr. Carlos Gaymer, professor and researcher at the University Católica del Norte in Coquimbo.
November 4
“Importance of conserving the Humboldt Archipelago for diving tourism” with marine biologist and diving instructor Valeria Portus from Chañaral de Aceituno.
November 11
“Importance of the conservation and protection of the Humboldt Archipelago for artisanal fishing and the Changos people” with Johana Tamayo, educator of indigenous language and culture, artisanal fisherwoman, tour guide in the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and secretary of the indigenous community Changa Juana Verga.
November 25'
“Developing projects to save cultural heritage” with José Aguilera, professor of history, historian and writer from Caleta Los Hornos in the municipality of La Higuera.
+++Abuse of power voted out+++
On October 27, local and governor elections were held in La Higuera, as were in the rest of Chile. Mayors, local councillors, governors and regional councillors were elected – which is comparable to local councillors at regional level only. The elections in La Higuera were of particular interest for the protection of the Humboldt penguin and its habitat, as the valuable ecosystem “Humboldt Archipelago” is located there (see article “Abuse of power voted out” on these pages).
+++Info Points+++
The “Yerba buena” group and environmentalists from the coastal village of Caleta Los Hornos would like to create info points to provide information about ecological and archaeological treasures in the municipality of La Higuera. The initiatives have submitted a convincing concept, which was examined and approved by the Sphenisco board. With an expert the “Yerba buena” group will soon work out the design of the information point on the road to Chungungo and update the cost estimate for this location. The activists in Caleta Los Hornos are currently clarifying the location of their information point with the municipal administration.
+++Foundation of the “Cooperation for fair development ”+++
In early 2025 the environment ministries of the Coquimbo and Atacama regions will hold a series of workshops to inform citizens about the plans for the “Humboldt Archipelago Management Plan”. Environmentalists from the municipality of La Higuera respectively the region are preparing for the public participation process and plan to register the “Cooperation for the fair development of the Humboldt Archipelago” with the municipality of La Higuera at the beginning of December. The aim of the cooperation is to actively participate in the development of the management plan.
+++Continuation of the research work in Chile+++
At the end of October 2024, another attempt was made to recount the Humboldt penguin population on the most important breeding islands. The census is part of a 6-year research project funded by the species conservation foundation Zoo Karlsruhe, Dresden Zoo and the Friends of Hagenbeck Zoo. As the researchers only found a few breeding Humboldt penguins, the census was canceled (see article “Endangered or critically endangered?” on these pages).
As a surprisingly large number of penguins breed on Cachagua Island in spite of the difficult oceanic conditions, Dr. Ursula Ellenberg (New Zealand) and Chilean researchers began to investigate foraging in the area of the island. Initially, the researchers equipped 12 animals with GPS loggers. In a second wave of research, more penguins are to be equipped with loggers and later also with cameras.
It is extremely good news that studies on Cachagua are possible in the still difficult oceanographic conditions and that the researchers can hardly sleep because of the cries of the penguins.
+++Poisoning with heavy metals+++
At two important nesting sites, the islands of Chañaral and Pan de Azucar, researchers from the University of Concepción (UdeC) have taken samples of bones and claws and detected increased concentrations of trace elements (copper, zinc, lead, nickel, iron, selenium, arsenic, bromine, mu-metal, chromium) in carcasses of Humboldt penguins using X-ray fluorescence. The researchers suppose that the increased concentrations are the result of acute or chronic exposure.
It’s the aim of the investigations to identify the causes of the sharp decline in Humboldt penguins and to clarify whether heavy metal concentrations are one of these causes. Many mining companies and cities in northern Chile still discharge their wastewater untreated into the Pacific Ocean. The researchers point out that the massive development of mining activities in northern Chile has therefore had a negative effect on coastal ecosystems due to high concentrations of heavy metals.
+++Film “On site - species protection and zoological gardens ”+++
At the end of November, filming began on the documentary “On Site - Species Conservation and Zoological Gardens”. During the first shoot in La Serena, Chile, Dr. Ursula Ellenberg (New Zealand) was interviewed about research work on foraging. Still in December, an interview with Dr. Guillermo Luna-Jorquera (University Católica del Norte) on population studies and breeding success will be recorded.
In the documentary, Nancy Duman (Sphenisco-Chile) and Dr. Matthias Reinschmidt (Karlsruhe Zoo) explore the question of whether and how zoological gardens support environmental education, public relations and research on site. The film is being produced in Spanish and German and aims at schoolchildren as well as people active in institutions of species conservation in Chile, Peru and Germany.
The ordering client is Sphenisco. The film project is implemented in cooperation with Sphenisco-Chile, the NGO Acorema in Peru, the Association of Zoological Gardens (VdZ) and Karlsruhe Zoo. The screenplay was written by Werner Knauf. It was translated by Veronica Abrego (Sphenisco) and Nancy Duman, both also provide linguistic support on set.
The German production - direction, camera, sound, lighting, post-production - is implemented by Werner Knauf, Jochem Paul and Klaus Vonnieda, Theatergruppe Freimersheim. Filming and post-production in Chile are in the hands of filmmaker Jean Paul Faure from DigitalPro in La Serena. Acorema has not decided yet who will produce the reports from Peru.
P E R U
+++Environmental education+++
Since 2010, Acorema has been continuously organizing environmental education on behalf of Sphenisco in the province of Ica and meanwhile also in parts of the province of Lima. In the last two years, the project “Creation and strengthening of spaces for the conservation of the Humboldt penguin on the central coast of Peru” has been implemented. Señora Milagros and her team will complete the agreed measures at the end of December.
Still in December a concept with objectives and a detailed description of the activities for 2025 and 2026 is to be presented. Acorema and Sphenisco are endeavoring to continue the educational measures, if possible without interruption.
+++Research on breeding success+++
Acorema has been studying breeding success on the Ballestas Islands again since May. The research project entitled “Comparison of the populations and reproductive success of the Humboldt penguin colony on the Ballestas Islands before and after bird flu and El Niño” is funded by Frankfurt Zoo and Marlow Bird Park.
It is to be feared that the Humboldt penguin population was greatly reduced by bird flu and El Niño. Against this background, the studies on the Ballestas, as well as those in Chile, are particularly important in order to obtain reliable data on the population. It is only on the basis of reliable data possible to plan and, if necessary, implement additional protection measures.
In November, Señora Milagros provided a brief update on the situation on the Ballestas Islands: “A total of 27 pairs were counted in the 3 sub-colonies, of which 17 pairs were breeding. This corresponds to a decrease of 50 breeding pairs compared to the 2022 survey. Altogether a total of 57 adult penguins (minus 77 compared to 2022) were on the Ballestas Islands”.
+++Census of the 2024 moulting population+++
In February, during the molting period, Acorema once again counted Humboldt penguins on and around important breeding islands in Peru on behalf of the Saint Louis Zoo. The results have now been published in a report to the National Service of Protected Natural Areas (1) and the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (2). It is planned to publish a summary on the Sphenisco website shortly, following a technical assessment.
Annotations:
(1) Servicio Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (SERNANP)
(2) Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR)
E U R O P E
+++Film presentation for Sphenisco+++
German Contreras, a Chilean friend of Sphenisco, organized a film presentation for the Humboldt Penguins in Karlsruhe's Nordstadt district on 13 October. The documentary film “Fritz ein Leben” by Gabriele and Werner Knauf from 2015 was shown in the jointly and voluntarily managed Kulturhaus Mikado.
The film documents the life balance of the then 90-year-old Fritz Pechovsky (1) from Ettlingen. Fritz drafted his conclusion in conversations with Gabriele Knauf. The result is a very personal and at the same time historical document. The visitors were impressed, felt personally addressed and had many questions for Fritz. A great success for the now 99-year-old, the film and, thanks to many donations, also for the conservation work.
Sphenisco would like to thank German Contreras and the Kulturhaus for the invitation and their generosity in providing the hall and free drinks.
Annotation:
(1) Fritz Pechovsky is the oldest member of Sphenisco.
+++Penguin Museum closed+++
The world's only penguin museum closed at the beginning of November. For 15 years, Birgit Berends and Stefan Kirchhoff ran the museum in Cuxhaven with passion and incredible commitment. During this time, more than 55,000 people visited the penguin museum. The profits were used to support animal welfare and species protection organizations, including Sphenisco, through the “Verein Pinguinfreunde Cuxhaven e.V.”. Birgit and Stefan took melancholic and thoughtful stock of it: “We are satisfied to have created something that has attracted so much attention nationwide. We are a little sad that we can no longer share our passion with others in the same way. We are disappointed with some people who have not managed to visit us at least once in 15 years. We feel liberated from the obligation to plan every weekend and all activities around opening hours and we are proud of everything we have achieved.” In 2013, Gabriele and Werner Knauf presented the unique project in the documentary film “Humboldt penguins and their fans”. https://vimeo.com/80278203
+++Christmas+++
“... I came here, I must tell you, Christmas is near.” Giving presents or not giving presents, that is the question every year.
Sphenisco has a few suggestions: Pinguin wine, the Pinot Blanc from the Ramsel winery. That’s always a good choice, especially at Christmas. https://www.weingut-ramsel.de/spheniscopinguinwein
Or “Wildlife of Canada 2025”, a tribute to the fauna and flora of Canada and an impressive guide through the upcoming year. https://charity-kalender.de/produkt/charity-kalender-wildlife-of-canada-2025 Or steel figure “Penguin” for home and garden, particularly suitable for the festive season as a contribution to peace (statement by John Ruskin (1819-1900) ... You can't be angry when you see a penguin.") https://charity-kalender.de
+++Donations, donations, donations+++
In October and November, Dresden Zoo and the Karlsruhe Zoo Conservation Foundation once again supported research into the population, breeding success and foraging in Chile.
Sphenisco also received donations from Kathrin Ballenthin, Kulturhaus Mikado Karlsruhe, on the occasion of the film presentation “Fritz ein Leben”, Saarbrücken Zoo, Björn and Marianne Rosinsky, on the occasion of Marianne Rosinsky's 60th birthday, Rosemarie Klug, Anja Seifen, Andreas Sirchich, Parc Merveilleux Luxembourg, Paultons Park England, Susanne Marwedel, Markus Friedrich.
W.K.
translated by Angelika Veelken