Hundreds of penguin corpses were discovered in Brazil

Although it is common to find penguins - both alive and dead - swept away by strong sea currents from the Magellan Strait, Pimenta said the number of penguins found this year was the most. .

Rescue teams and responsible people have different opinions about the cause of this phenomenon.

Thiago Muniz, a veterinarian at Niteroi Zoo, said that fishing abuses have forced penguins to swim farther to find fish, 'which makes them easily swept away by strong sea currents'.

Brazil's coast rescue team rescues penguins that have been washed up to the coast of Rio de Janeiro.(Photo: AP)

Munitz said Niteroi, the state's largest zoo, received treatment for about 100 penguins this year and many of them were soaked in kerosene . Campos oil field supplies most of Brazil's offshore oil needs.

Muniz said he did not see penguins suffering from the effects of other pollutants, but he pointed out that dead penguins did not drift ashore to be treated.

Pimenta identified pollution as the main cause.

Pimena quoted some biologists working with him: 'In addition to oil from the Campos basin, pollution reduced animal resistance, making them vulnerable to fungi and tons of bacteria. their lungs'.

However, biologist Erli Costa of Rio de Janeiro's federal university said the weather is also a cause.

Costa said: 'I don't think pollution levels are so high that it affects birds so quickly. Instead, I think that what we find is a lot of young and sick penguins due to global warming. This climate phenomenon affects the flow of the sea and creates many whirlwinds, making the sea more intense. '

According to him, most penguins are found to be small, they have just left the nest and cannot swim upstream of the strong seawater they encounter when searching for food.

Every year, Brazil must bring dozens of penguins back to Antarctica and Patagonia.