Did You Know? Since 1995 SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Adventure CampsSM have played host to nearly 300,000 campers, hailing from all 50 U.S. states and 22 countries. View More The Galapagos » The Limbe Wildlife Centre, Limbe, Cameroon... » Entering the Emperor’s Realm in Antarctica » Vanuatu » Tesso Nilo National Forest » The SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence Awards: A Local Approach to Conservation » Tracking Lions in Kenya with Dr. Lawrence Frank » SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund » The Galapagos » An African Adventure to Remember These are the current issues facing the Ecuadorian government, which is the primary governing body of the Galapagos Islands. With the data collected by the CDRS and SeaWorld staff, and through the use of passive identification transponder (PIT) tags purchased with funds donated by SeaWorld, scientists are better able to gauge the current status of the population. Based on this information, the CDRS is able to make recommendations to the Ecuadoran Government about the management of the Islands. SeaWorld brings more than 25 years of experience in the care, breeding and management of penguins to the Galapagos project. It is hoped that our continued relationship with the CDRS and the Ecuadoran government will help preserve this unique species in its natural environment.

"Inspired the Origin of a species."

Few places in the world conjure up images of wildlife like the Galapagos Islands. This unique oceanic archipelago, located on the equator 600 miles west of Ecuador, it has been credited for inspiring Charles Darwin's "Origin of a Species," the blueprint for his theory of evolution. For the past four years, the SeaWorld Adventure Parks have funded a census of the endangered Galapagos penguin, one of the more charismatic creatures found on the islands. Members from each of the SeaWorld parks have traveled to the Galapagos to assist the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) in an annual census intended to determine the seabirds' status. The penguins' year-round breeding peaks in August and September. By taking a census during this time, scientists hope to better understand the health of the overall population. Natural events, like El Niño, have a devastating effect on the Galapagos penguin; the fish they depend on for food head for cooler waters. This can be life-threatening for a chick or juvenile bird, and, if the El Niño is serious enough, it can even impact the adult population. Due to the last several El Niño events, the most recent occurring in 1998, it is estimated that the population fell from 8,000 individuals to fewer than 2,000. Scientists believe the population can rebound from these events if other factors like oil spills, overfishing and introduced species such as rats and cats are kept in check.