Half of Emperor Penguins ‘to die’

MORE than half the world’s Emperor Penguins will die in the next 80 years because of melting ice, scientists warned yesterday.

The birds are unique in that they breed on seasonal Antarctic sea ice and use it to incubate their eggs and raise their chicks.

They also need stable sea ice during their annual moult – when their feathers are no longer waterproof.

But the British Antarctic Survey – published in journal Biological Conservation – found rising temperatures are melting the ice and predicts this will cut the Emperors’ numbers by more than 300,000 this century.