Physiological responses of incubating Magellanic penguins exposed to tourism

VILLANUEVA, M. C.; BERTELLOTTI, M.; WALKER, B.

Victoria, Canada

Congreso; 1st World Seabird Conference; 2010

In the last decade, there has been increasing tourist activity in Argentine Patagonia focusing on wildlife visitation. Seabird colonies (penguins, cormorants, gulls, etc.) are particularly popular for visitation. As a consequence of this growth, there is a concern about the effects that ecotourism may have on these populations. We investigated the physiological responses of incubating Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) exposed to human visitation in San Lorenzo colony, located in Peninsula Valdés, Chubut, Argentina. We measured the heart rate response of Magellanic penguin when small (