The Fauna Argentina Foundation has gone to court to stop more than 40 penguins from being moved from a former aquarium in Mar del Plata to the Bubalcó biopark in Río Negro province. The group argues that the area’s climate could be unsuitable for the birds.
The complaint was filed by foundation president Juan Antonio Lorenzani, who is also a member of the Geo Naturaleza Citizens’ Observatory. La Nación reported that the complainants are seeking urgent measures to keep the penguins in Buenos Aires province, where they are currently housed. The foundation named Senasa, Argentina’s Naval Prefecture and the customs authority among the agencies it wants notified.
The proposed destination is near Guerrico, in the Allen area of Río Negro, nearly 1,000 kilometres from the coast. The foundation says the arid conditions and summer temperatures, which routinely exceed 38°C to 40°C in the shade, are unsuitable for Magellanic penguins. It points to the birds’ feathers and layer of fat as part of its argument. These are claims made by the complainant, not an independently confirmed assessment of the transfer’s effects.
The filing also cites the deaths of at least eight penguins at the former aquarium and the disappearance or alleged theft of two others. The foundation is asking for a court-ordered inventory of the remaining birds, microchips and inspections by independent biologists.
The group has separately asked authorities to examine the conduct of public officials, inspectors and administrative bodies that authorised the transfer. At the time of the report, the filing was a request for court action. Its submission does not by itself establish wrongdoing or the cause of any harm to the animals.