{"id":5320,"date":"2006-06-24T11:18:00","date_gmt":"2006-06-24T11:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/the-emperors-of-snow-hill-discovered\/"},"modified":"2006-06-24T11:18:00","modified_gmt":"2006-06-24T11:18:00","slug":"the-emperors-of-snow-hill-discovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/2006\/06\/the-emperors-of-snow-hill-discovered\/","title":{"rendered":"The Emperors of Snow Hill Discovered"},"content":{"rendered":"

Report by Roderick Eime – World Adventurer<\/a><\/span>
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The world\u2019s largest penguin, the Emperor, lives exclusively in the deepest regions of <\/span>Antarctica<\/span><\/st1:place>, right? Wrong!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In November 2004, the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov<\/span>, encountered substantial numbers of Emperor Penguins in the water around the ship at 64 <\/sup>degrees south. Take a look at your atlas. The <\/span>Antarctic Circle<\/span><\/st1:place> is 66 degrees! What were they? A new tropical breed of Emperor Penguin?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/a>Frank Todd, ornithologist, author and naturalist guide aboard the Khlebikov<\/span>, had heard stories of \u201clost\u201d Emperors way up toward the tip of the <\/span>Peninsula<\/span><\/st1:place>, on the <\/span>Weddell Sea<\/span><\/st1:place> (eastern) side. In December 1893, Norwegian Captain Carl Larsen reported \u201cnumerous\u201d Emperors in a colony on the fast ice (as in ‘stuck fast’) at around 67 degrees. In the last decade, the disintegrating ice shelf probably caused this colony to scatter and some, it would appear, headed north in search of more stable breeding grounds, or ice as in the case of Emperors.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Keen to confirm, or otherwise, the existence of a new colony so far north, Frank and other members of the scientific team boarded the Khlebnikov<\/span>\u2019s jet helicopters for a reconnaissance. Following their instincts and some earlier reports by Argentinean scientists, the colony was located on the ice a few hundred metres off the southern shore of <\/span>Snow<\/span><\/st1:placename> <\/span>Hill<\/span><\/st1:placetype> <\/span>Island<\/span><\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The party landed, and after some initial data collection, brought back the awestruck passengers, split into small groups, to observe this incredible expedition bonus. They would have clambered like schoolchildren to see just one Emperor Penguin and not one of them could possibly have imagined finding a large (8,000 birds, Frank reckons) colony on this trip so far north. What\u2019s more, they were without doubt, the first humans to visit this colony on foot.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pleasing to see the colony in such good shape, \u201csays Frank, \u201cwe counted 3885 downy chicks about a month old, almost all healthy and attended by a parent.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Eager to preserve the integrity of the colony, passengers were landed behind a large iceberg to shield the birds from the noise and scary imagery of a Russian helicopter. Despite what was almost certainly these animals\u2019 first encounter with humans, their innate curiosity took over and soon Emperors were standing to attention and marching over for a closer look at the new visitors, occasionally trumpeting their royal presence.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

With this new colony now properly documented, number 44 of 45 known, <\/span>Snow<\/span><\/st1:placename> <\/span>Hill<\/span><\/st1:placetype> <\/span>Island<\/span><\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place> will become a regular fixture on the Kapitan Khlebnikov<\/span>\u2019s expedition calendar. Previously, Penguin fans had to travel as far as 72 degrees on the other side of the continent for a look at a decent flock of Emperors. What once took over 20 days, can now be achieved in less than a fortnight, with plenty of time for exploring.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Weddell Sea<\/span><\/st1:place> in November is still shaking off the last of its wintry hangover, and dense ice around the islands is common. This limits access to only the toughest of ice vessels, the icebreaker, and Khlebnikov<\/span> is currently the only one operating passenger journeys to <\/span>Antarctica<\/span><\/st1:place> at that time.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Emperor Penguin Fast Facts<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n