Update

Hello to all of you!

I wanted to share my experience so far with all of you who have helped me get it.

After two weeks in Chile, we are still waiting for the ideal conditions for sampling: on the one hand, the chicks must be big enough not to interfere with the penguins' reproduction. On the other hand, the sea conditions are not optimal for travelling to the islands, so our safety would be at risk.

But in the meantime, we have not wasted any time! We have taken advantage of the trip to check the environment where the islands are located and we are taking samples of other seabirds in the surrounding area, which may give us clues about the state of health of the local fauna.

We have also contacted other departments to collaborate, and all samples will be used, not only to isolate Salmonella, but also other bacteria such as E. coli, parasites and viruses. The idea is to make the most of these hard-to-get samples.

On the other hand, we will not stop studying other similar studies, inform ourselves about how to conduct the sampling in the most ethical way possible, and start writing the study.

There is still a lot of work to be done but we are very excited and hope to start sharing results soon (and, of course, photos of the penguins).