Hundreds of baby penguins were recently swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are now floating ontoRio de Janeiro’s tropical beaches dead.  More than 400 penguins, most of them young, have been found dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

One of Many Poor Penguins Mysteriously Found Dead in Brazil

While it is common to find some penguins, dead and alive, swept by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, there have been more this year than at any time in recent history.  There are many possible causes for this tragedy.

Some people believe that overfishing forced the penguins to swim further out from the shoreline to hunt fish and then were caught in the strong ocean currents.

Many are also drenched in petroleum, so they may be suffering from offshore oil drilling (”not dangerous to the environment”) and other pollutants.  The pollution harms the animals’ immunity, leaving them vulnerable to diseases, especially fungi and bacteria which attack the lungs.

Others believe the weater is to blame.  Global warming affects ocean currents and creates more cyclones and rougher ocean waters. 

Whatever the problem actually is, scientists should delve into the matter to discover how to save these beautiful creatures.

On a side note, I posted about Grey Wolves being released from the Endangered Species list allowing hunting of the beautiful canine to begin again.  http://scienceguy288.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/never-cry-wolf/  Recently, a federal court judge has revived the endangered protection for Canis lupis.  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080719/ap_on_sc/wolf_delisting;_ylt=ApacLj5KhWOI2OdABea4cQlpl88F