Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)

I went to the Zoo recently with my Grandson......I'm not really a great lover of Zoo's ... but because of man's greed & the environmental damage, all the Animals will be lost, so now I look at it in a different perspective ........I only just wish they have more room to make their time in captivity a happy one !!


This penguin is sometimes known as the Peruvian penguin. They have been exploited in two ways. Firstly, their droppings, or guano, makes wonderful fertiliser so has been collected in huge quantities. Secondly, their underskin fat deposits make an oil suitable for oil lamps. One Humboldt's penguin can produce 2 pints of oil which could keep a small house lit for a week. Action for the Wild, Colchester Zoo's charity is raising funds to protect Humboldt penguins in Peru.

Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)
Distribution: Peru and Chile and islands off the west coast of South America.
Status: Vulnerable, listed on Appendix I of CITES