Dead Penguins Update: Ocean Warming Blamed After Hundreds of Penguins Washed Up Lifeless in New Zealand Shores

Dead penguins in the hundreds washed up ashore in the shores of New Zealand last week and last month.

The mystery incidents perplexed scientists as to how a large number of little blue penguins ended up dead in succession in the northern part of the country.

The most recent incident involved over 100 penguins being found dead and decaying near Cable Bay in northern New Zealand.

Meanwhile, a total of 183 penguins were found dead in the North Island and Northland regions in May, including 109 at Ninety Mile Beach, 40 at Tokerau Beach, and 20 on the same beach.

While predators or ocean pollution are possible factors to the penguin deaths, recent reports suggested that rising ocean temperatures or ocean warming are blamed for the incidents.

Related phenomena have been reported in other parts of the world where various marine animals, including whales and dolphins, are found dead along beaches.

In recent years, climate research indicated global warming continues to heat up the world's oceans, sparking an extinction-level event for some marine species in the future.

The deaths are mainly caused by the depletion of oxygen, which decreases as ocean temperatures rise.

Marine Mammal Strandings

(Photo : Photo by MIGUEL ROJO/AFP via Getty Images)

New Zealand is no stranger when it comes to fish strandings and marine mammal strandings.

In November 2018, experts have linked ocean warming to be the culprit behind the deaths of 145 pilot whales in a series of mass strandings in southern New Zealand, the Department of Conservation (DOC) confirmed, as cited by Phys.org.

The country's highest recorded whale strandings was in 1918 involving 1,000 whales.

While these events are common in New Zealand, the short timeframe of strandings is strange, according to marine mammal scientist, Karen Stockin, from Massey University.

Also Read: 63 Endangered Penguins Stung to Death by Swarm of Bees in Cape Town

Ocean Warming

In the latest strandings in New Zealand, the DOC stated it has been caused by rising ocean temperatures, as cited by Ireland's news outlet Independent.

This temperature spike is fundamentally triggered by human-induced climate change and global warming.

Activities like the burning of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions from various industries, especially from the oil, gas, and energy sector.

Growing Concerns

Locals in the mentioned penguin strandings in May and June have prompted growing concerns among locals.

The community reportedly discussed if whether the birds were caught by fishermen or an unknown disease may be in the water.

While figures were provided regarding the total penguin deaths, DOC sea bird scientist Graeme Taylor believed there could be over 500 penguins washed up in New Zealand since the start of May, as cited by The Guardian.

Taylor adds the figure could approach 1,000 and the exact number of is challenging to find since some bodies of the penguins are being buried by people.

Meanwhile, other possibilities include the sea birds could have died from starvation.

This is according to a previous assessment by the Ministry of Primary Industries earlier in 2022, as cited by the UK media outlet.