Poor Baby Lamont

Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches, according to rescuers and penguin experts. This is worse than those severed feet in British Columbia!

More than 400 penguins, most of them young, have been found dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state over the past two months. While it is common here to find some penguins — both dead and alive — swept by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, there have been more this year than at any time in recent memory, and rescuers and those who treat penguins are divided over the possible causes. That must be a tough debate to have to step in between.

A veterinarian at the state's Niteroi Zoo, believes overfishing has forced the penguins to swim further from shore to find fish to eat "and that leaves them more vulnerable to getting caught up in the strong ocean currents." Niteroi has already received about 100 penguins for treatment this year and many are drenched in petroleum. The Campos oil field that supplies most of Brazil's oil lies offshore. They had not seen penguins suffering from the effects of other pollutants, but already dead penguins aren't brought in for treatment.

Another suggestion is weather patterns could be involved. Because of global warming, which affects ocean currents, creates more cyclones, and makes the seas rougher, baby birds - the vast majority of penguins turning up - that have just left the nest and are likely unable to out-swim the strong ocean currents they encounter while searching for food.

In a heartwarming end to the beaches littered with penguin corpses, every year Brazil airlifts dozens of penguins back to Antarctica or Patagonia.