• UGI USER
  • Feb 02, 2024
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ANTARCTIC PENGUINS AND BIRD FLU THREAT

Why in the News?

  • H5N1 bird flu detected in Antarctic gentoo penguins, marking the first occurrence.
Source: SlideServe

About Penguin Deaths:

  • Initial confirmation from two gentoo penguins found dead on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands.
  • Concerns arise due to penguins’ limited immunity to H5N1 and their large, crowded breeding colonies.
About Antarctic Penguins

·    IUCN status of three Antarctic gentoo penguin species:

o    Emperor – Near Threatened

o    Southern rockhopper- Vulnerable

o    Macaroni penguins – Vulnerable

About Falkland Island

·    The Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinas Islands or Islas Malvinas in Spanish, are an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

·    Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, it is located approximately 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America.

·    The islands are also about the same distance east of the Strait of Magellan.