Hundreds of baby emperor penguins stranded on breakaway iceberg miraculously survive without their mothers for four months

Hundreds of baby emperor penguins have miraculously survived after a breakaway iceberg left thousands of chicks cut off from their mothers.

An Antarctic ice shelf the size of the Isle of Wight broke four months ago and formed a new mountain, separating the newborn penguins from their parents, who were hunting for fish at the time.

Scientists thought the chicks had met an unfortunate end, but satellite images have confirmed that many of them made it through.

Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) told The Mail on Sunday that the baby penguins had ‘dodged a bullet’.

“We don’t know how they did it,” he said. ‘They had been very unlucky, so I was very relieved when they appeared on the satellite image and looked quite healthy.’

An Antarctic ice shelf the size of the Isle of Wight broke four months ago and formed a new mountain, separating the newborn penguins from their parents

So far, his team could not confirm whether the colony – adults or chicks – had survived the icebreak, but satellite images have confirmed that many of them made it through.

In 2019, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey discovered a three-year ‘catastrophic’ decline in breeding production within the once-important penguin colony, which was already threatening its future

Until now, his team could not confirm whether the colony – adults or chicks – had survived the ice breakup, with image quality reduced due to the six months of darkness that occur during Antarctic winters.

But the footage shows the chicks teetering on the edge of the ice shelf and Mr Fretwell warned they were ‘not out of the woods yet’.

“Twenty years ago, a similar ice shelf caused a lot of problems,” he said. ‘We cannot say for sure whether they will survive. The adults should do that, but it’s not promising for the chicks as one big storm would wipe out the rest.’

In 2019, BAS scientists discovered a three-year ‘catastrophic’ decline in reproduction within the once-important colony – which was already threatening its future.

Now, Mr Fretwell said, ‘with the ice sheet broken off, the chicks are exposed to the ocean, which means they are in a vulnerable position. The premature breakdown of sea ice is becoming more and more common every year, but for now this is an ongoing story.’

After enduring many close calls and near-fatal accidents, the surviving emperor penguin chicks must now cling to the remaining sea ice until December, when they will be strong enough to swim away.