2000 Penguins Die in Mass on Coast... Uruguayan Government Suspects Malnutrition

Avian Influenza Test Results 'Negative'

Recently, thousands of penguin carcasses were found along the eastern coast of Uruguay in South America, prompting authorities to investigate the cause.

On the 24th (local time), according to local media such as El Observador, Uruguay's environmental authorities announced that over 2,000 penguins were found dead in a mass mortality event along a 200 km stretch of the southeastern coastline from the capital Montevideo to Rocha during a ten-day period in mid-month.

On the 20th (local time), penguin carcasses were found along the coast of the La Huaniita area in Maldonado Department, Uruguay. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The National Biodiversity and Ecology Institute under Uruguay's Ministry of Environment explained that the carcasses found along the southeastern coast are Magellanic penguins. Magellanic penguins are characterized by stripes on their chests and have an average body length of 67 cm.

Gerardo Evia, director of the National Ecology Institute, stated, "The Magellanic penguins in this area nest in the southern Patagonia region of Argentina and migrate to the warmer southern or central parts of Brazil during winter. Afterwards, they swim thousands of kilometers back to their nests, with Uruguay located along the way."

Magellanic penguins typically migrate northward along the coast in July and August, when the weather in the Southern Hemisphere drops significantly, in search of food. However, many individuals suffer from malnutrition and die during the migration due to failure to obtain sufficient food in time. The Uruguayan government believes the carcasses found this time are cases of the same phenomenon.

Magellanic penguin. [Image source=Pixabay]

Some concerns were raised about avian influenza. However, tests for avian influenza infection showed that all carcass samples tested negative.

This is not the first mass death event involving Magellanic penguins. In 2021, 59 Magellanic penguins were found dead on the sandy beaches of the southern Atlantic coast of Brazil. At that time, the causes of death were suggested to be seawater pollution and food shortages, but the exact cause was not determined.

In September 2020, Magellanic penguins were also found dead on Brazilian beaches. Controversy arose when masks were found inside the penguins' bodies. It is presumed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mask usage surged, some discarded masks were ingested by starving penguins.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.