: Penguin numbers have decreased in every single colony surveyed on the island.

Environmental advocates now use the story of these missing thousands to push for a . Their goal is to establish a network of ocean sanctuaries covering 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 , providing a safe space for wildlife like the chinstrap penguins to adapt and recover from human-induced environmental shifts.

: This collapse is largely attributed to a rapidly changing climate and the disruption of the marine food web, particularly the decline of krill, their primary food source. A Call for Sanctuaries

In 1971, researchers counted of chinstrap penguins on Elephant Island, a vital habitat northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They were a thriving, bustling population, resilient against the harsh elements of the Southern Ocean.