Galapagos Penguin Essay

The Galapagos penguins, also known as Spheniscus mendiculus, currently have the smallest breeding range and population size of any penguin (International Penguin Conservation Work Group). These penguins have an average weight of 5.5 pounds, and an average length of nineteen inches (World Wildlife Fund). This specific species of penguins used to be found on all nineteen of the Galapagos Islands. Currently, they are mainly found on only two of those nineteen: Ferdinand and Isabela.
The penguins’ habitat is ocean and rocky beaches. They live near the Cromwell Current to obtain food, because many fish swim on that current. They utilize the beaches, especially when they are nesting, and lay their eggs in holes or caves on the islands. Their diet consists of eating small fish that are found less than 30 meters deep in the water, because they don’t like to swim farther down than that (Animal Diversity Web).
The Galapagos penguins used to be a plentiful species, and as of 1970, there were almost 15,000 recorded. Today, there are less than 2,000 penguins of this species left. What caused this drastic decline? These penguins have been threatened not only by humans, but also by their environment, which has caused their species to become endangered. “Penguins are threatened by pollution, bycatch and climate change” (World Wildlife Fund). The climate change is caused by the El Nino and La Nina cycles, which results in a food shortage. When the penguins run out of food to eat, they begin to starve. “Past strong El Nino events have caused mortalities of up to 77 percent, with dramatic declines of prey species and reduced breeding success” (World Wildlife Fund). This means that if the cycles of El Nino once took out 77% of the Galapagos Pengui...

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... the Galapagos Islands and into the new place to see how they thrive before moving most of the population.
My plan can be implemented as long as the funds are provided. Utilizing fundraisers, accepting donations, and using the “Adopt a Penguin” theme, I feel like the money can be raised, and funds can be set up to start the upbringing of these penguins. People can “Adopt a Penguin,” and the money they send in for their penguin can go towards helping bring these penguins out of endangerment. Then, slowly, the plan can be put into motion. First, the funds will be used to place the penguin in zoo captivity, and extra money will go towards keeping them fed. Next, the funds will be used to try and pass laws on fishing limits. The fines received from the destruction of the beach habitats can be used for research in trying to relocate these penguins to a similar climate.