Our visit to Punta Tombo was incredible. Seeing thousands of penguins across the beach, adorable chicks, and penguins diving into the ocean was a truly unforgettable experience.
But while I was there I felt we got a little too close for comfort. Take one step without looking and I could have literally stepped on a penguin.
We were warned to “not get too close.” But what is too close? No one told us the specifics. Many tourists leaned within feet of the penguins just to get better pictures. And of course the tour group was loud.
A fellow tourist who got too close
It was difficult to know our immediate impact. It seems like in order to build the walking trail years ago, some nests would have had to be moved or destroyed. And since the penguins return to the same nests year after year, what happened to the penguins whose nests were in the way?
Sadder still is that the penguin population is slowly dwindling. The pollution and over-fishing in the Atlantic ocean means that the penguins’ food sources are dying and moving further from shore. Thus the penguins have to swim further away from their nests to find food. Penguins are monogamous and share parenting duties. One parent guards the nest while the other goes for food.
But because its partner is gone longer in search of food, sometimes the penguin on the nest will starve by the time the other returns. Or the nesting penguin may abandon the nest to get food — leaving the eggs or chicks unprotected. When that happens, the penguin is often so near starvation it dies before it even gets to the water. And we were told that the chicks are getting smaller because they aren’t fed as frequently.
Penguin corpse on the beach
While I loved the opportunity to take lots of cute photos of penguins at Punta Tombo, I was struck with the dilemmas of being an environmentally conscious traveler. How do I justify disturbing this place? And what can I do to prevent the pollution that causes these penguins to starve?
The visit was a reminder of how interconnected people and animals are, and that traveling doesn’t come without costs. With the holidays just around the corner, a lot of us will be traveling. Let’s try to make an even greater effort to be a little more environmentally conscious. Whether it’s bringing a reusable water bottle to the airport, parking further away rather than driving in circles looking for a parking spot at the mall, or wrapping presents in the Sunday comics, every little bit helps.
Recommended Reading:
- Elephant Seals & Penguins & Guanacos, Oh My! Photo Tour of Peninsula Valdes Animals
- Penguin and Penguin Chick Photos: Punta Tombo, Argentina
- Ultimate Directory of Top Green Travel Destinations: 25 Days to Green Travel, Day 3
- My Top 5 Favorite Things About Green Travel
- Drinking Green Anywhere in the World: 25 Days to Green Travel, Day 13
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve asked myself the same questions about my travels and my regular activity, and I haven’t come up with a satisfactory answer.
But, you’re 100% right, every little bit helps. Despite the fact that travel does pollute, you learn something new about the world every time you do it. So what can you do? There isn’t a whole lot you can do to immediately impact your penguin friends, but you can always do something little like tell your friends and family about the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Their little guides helped me learn more about what species are overfished, what comes from questionable fisheries, and what choices are good. I’m only one person, but every little bit helps.
That was the saddest post ever…..
I knew that I shouldn’t have read this post when I saw the title, at least not while sitting in the dentist’s waiting room. (It is hard to explain tears and red eyes at 7:00 in the morning!) This reminded me of visiting the Galapagos Islands and crying over orphaned sea lions. I agree that all we can do is work to educate others and be responsible ourselves.
Oh that is too sad for words. On one hand, it is good that you are bring attention to it. The zoo in Debrecen is so sad, these animals in cages that barely resemble their natural habitat. I never went back.
so sad-but thanks for the awareness.
When I was in Madagascar a rare species of tropical birds whose habitat is on a small tropical island where tourists could visit by boat and pretty much touch the birds. They have the same birds in australia but the tourists arent even allowed on to the island due to conservation. two different countries two different attitudes to these rare tropical birds.
sailing holidays
It is a difficult situation. On the one had a beautiful, life enhancing experience, on the other, a sad life enhancing experience. Either way you seem to have learnt from it and educated others, which is a good thing.