Thousands of baby Adélie penguins died due to lack of food in Antarctica. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in the last breeding season, only two chicks from the group of over 18 thousand members survived.

Specialists believe the disaster happened because, this summer, the amount of sea ice in the area was larger than usual. The phenomenon forced parents to seek food for their offspring in more distant places. Therefore, the penguin chicks spent more time without food and died.

To help the animals, experts want fishing in the area to be banned. That way, penguins would not have to compete with humans for their food. Adélie penguins are also suffering from the effects of climate change, which causes alterations in ocean water temperatures and melts the ice cap.

How do baby penguins feed?
Penguins feed on krill, squid, and small fish and can go without food for up to two days. Adults hunt and bring food to their chicks.

Questions – nivel II
– What happened to the Adélie penguins this year?
– What are experts doing to protect the species?