Endangered Penguins - Galapagos penguin

The Galapagos penguins which are found only on the Galapagos Islands are listed as Endangered.  Galapagos penguins are easily the most northerly of all penguins living right on the equator. With the development of the Galapagos Islands over the last few years there has been a reduction in the number of these small birds. How serious this reduction is remains to be seen.

The very small population currently estimated to be around 1,500 breeding pairs has been falling steadily over the last 30 years and has reached a stage where there is a real danger of extinction unless action is taken.  The main threats are overfishing, reducing food stocks as well as human disturbance of nesting sites both from population pressure and tourism. In addition, in early 2001, a major oil spill was threatened, but largely due to favourable weather conditions, was averted.