Penguin Watch Talk

Effect of people living on the island

  • SiJames by SiJames

    I stayed on Port Lockroy for 10 days in 1994 while the waters surrounding were surveyed. I watched the Penguin Post Office documentary a year ago about he same island and there looked to be less wildlife. In 94 we the island was dense with Gentoo and we were surrounded by Leopard seals that hunted up to the shoreline and had regular visits from Crabeater and I think Weddell seals as well as Antacrtic shags and Albatross. Is there any study of the effect tourism and summer inhabitation of the island on the wildlife population. The Leopard seals were notable in that they had no fear of humans and even delivered penguin prey to us as a cat delivers a mouse to its owner when we took the Gemini out into the bay.

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  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    Thanks for posting, @SiJames . My understanding is that Gentoo colonies there have done well; as far as I know the other wildlife has also remained reasonably healthy. Films are highly edited to show what producers want to see, so that very entertainlng documentary may not have given an accurate portrayal in terms of wildlife. Let me do some digging to check my understanding.

    One of the reasons Penguin Watch asks us to mark vessels and humans as well as various animals, is to study the effect such things have on the penguin population in particular.

    What a great experience you have had! Others here have at least visited the area recently, and may well chime in before I have a chance to report back.

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  • AvastMH by AvastMH moderator

    I'll join gardenmaeve in saying what a wonderful experience you must have had. The Gentoos were still relatively young in their tenancy at Port Lockroy when you visited. I understand that they moved there during the 1980s 😃

    I don't know if you've come across this panorama of the site. I never tire of seeing it 😃

    https://www.antarctic.eu/wp-content/panoramas/antarktis_2013/port-lockroy_en/Port-Lockroy.html

    Enjoy! 😃

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