Falklands Conservation

Penguins Do Not Topple Over!

Press reports like this are a myth

"The Falklands War exposed a design fault in the King Penguin. Fascinated by the helicopters and jets speeding overhead the birds are so keen to follow their every move that they crane their necks at an ever steepening angle to the sky until they lose their balance and fall over backwards. The idea of a 400,000 strong colony of birds tipping back like dominoes on to the ice is amusing". (Daily Mail, 2 November 2000).

For those of us involved with protecting penguins in the wild these stories of penguin toppling are not very funny. When overflown by low aircraft penguins do not fall over, but they do get distressed. Fleeing from the disturbance can lead to the abandonment of their egg (which King Penguins balance in a pouch on their feet). The egg will then be left vulnerable to predators like the skua. There are grave concerns amongst environmentalists about the effects of aircraft interference on penguin colonies because of the damage it could inflict on breeding patterns - and many penguins species are in decline worldwide. Falklands Conservation has campaigned against low flying aircraft (including helicopters) in the Falkland Islands for just this reason.

We need all the support and help we can get to make sure the right messages go out about the problems facing these attractive birds. Planes should never fly low over-penguin colonies - it causes severe disturbance. With increased tourism and a large military base in the Islands we need ensure that there is a clear understanding of the problems and refute these 'funny stories' which are both inaccurate and fail to point out the very real dangers such activities cause to these fascinating birds.

The recent news stories arise from publicity about a new project by the British Antarctic Survey to research the effects of helicopters and other low flying aircraft on penguins on the island of South Georgia. The intention of the work is to discover if overflights can harm King Penguin colonies at breeding time and to check their stress levels. Their findings will be important and could affect the way all countries operate aircraft across the penguin colonies of these far south latitudes.

Here's the British Antarctic Survey response to the false storys.

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