The world’s largest iceberg is currently on a collision course with a remote British island in the South Atlantic Ocean. This could endanger thousands of penguins and seals, the BBC reports on its website.
The iceberg, called A23a, is moving north from Antarctica to South Georgia, a rugged British territory and a haven for wildlife, where it could run aground and crash. The icy giant, which is about 3,500 square kilometers in size, is still about 280 kilometers from the island, according to the BBC
When the A38 iceberg beached itself on the continental shelf in 2004, the collision resulted in dead penguin chicks and seal pups on the beaches as the huge chunks of ice blocked the animals’ access to feeding areas.
Ice masses can cut animals off from feeding areas
Previous collisions with icebergs have killed scores of birds and seals in South Georgia bays and beaches where they nested because the ice prevented them from finding and eating food.
“Icebergs are inherently dangerous. “I would be extremely happy if it missed our net completely,” the captain of the fisheries protection vessel Pharos, Simon Wallace, told BBC News.
Important breeding area for the king penguin
South Georgia, part of the British Overseas Territory, is located in the South Atlantic Ocean. The island is considered one of the most important breeding areas for the king penguin. It is estimated that there are approximately 400,000 individuals of this species. It is also an important habitat for elephant seals, Antarctic fur seals and four species of seals.
Source: Krone
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