The Iceland Puffin Patrol

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Film Info

Film Year: 2019

Film Duration: 18 min

Country: Iceland

Language: English, Icelandic

Director

Sebastian Ziegler

Film Category
Synopsis

Why are young Icelanders seeking out and rescuing fledgling Atlantic puffins hidden in the industrial outskirts of town? And why has the population of Atlantic puffins found on Iceland’s Westman Islands – one of the biggest in the world – become extremely volatile lately? Puffin chicks, called pufflings, have low body weights and a decreasing rate of survival. Why are they vulnerable? Hunters are still killing the birds, and restaurants are still serving them to tourists. Here, we meet seabird ecologist Erpur Snær Hansen and biologist Karen Velas whose field research and community programs are crucial for the species survival. A film full of urgency and unexpected allies joining the midnight fight for the future of the puffins.