Penguin Paradise in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Affected by avian influenza (H5N1), all landing points in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have been closed. Fortunately, we were lucky to land in Fortuna Bay two days ago and saw mountains and valleys full of king penguin babies, each of which was furry and looked like kiwis. The Gold Harbour Bay we cruised today is also a gathering area for king penguins. There are also many fur seals and elephant seals on the beach, but when we carefully observed with a telescope, there were many corpses of what looked like baby seals scattered among the penguins. I asked the expedition team member next to me and he replied: Indeed, this beach is covered with a large number of seal corpses. Some are young seals that cannot turn over to breathe, and some are sick and died. After the corpses were eaten by seabirds, the virus gradually spread. Scientists are still studying the transmission route and the extent of the impact on species. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are currently the areas with the most serious avian influenza. Fortunately, penguins do not eat carrion, so it has not yet caused a significant impact on the penguin population. In order to prevent tourists from bringing viruses or bacteria into the Antarctic Peninsula when landing, appropriate closed landing is understandable. After finishing the morning sea cruise, we returned to the ship to run in the fitness center, sit in the oven, and then go to the stern to soak in an open-air SPA. In the afternoon, we can see many huge icebergs of various sizes that drifted from Antarctica for several years along the way, as well as the magnificent Drygalski Fjord glacier fjord. Four friends who are also from Taiwan took a group photo together. After the Glacier Fjord Journey, the expedition leader announced: Now we will continue to sail towards the Antarctic Peninsula! #SouthGeorgiaandtheSouthSandwichIslands #antarctic #SouthGeorgia #theSouthSandwichIslands