Frank S. Todd
A biologist and recognized authority on penguins, Frank has been working in Antarctica and the sub-antarctic since 1972. He established a breeding colony of Adelie and Emperor Penguins in San Diego to facilitate long-term, year round research. At the time, the scientific community suggested that the unique biology of the Emperor Penguin would make the propogation in captivity of the world's largest penguin would fail. Frank was successful, pioneering the specialized techniques required to acquire penguins from eggs collected in Antarctica. Frank was creator of the world-famous Sea World Penguin encounters. Frank is the auther of seven books and he is a noted wildlife photographer. Frank is the recipient of the US Polar Medal, and the Gold Conservation Medal from the San Diego Zoological Society. Frank S. Todd is the Expedition Team ornithologist aboard Antarctica's Far East, your last chance to see Emperor Penguins in the wild aboard Kapitan Khlebnikov.
Frank's advice for travelers aboard Antarctica's Far East
“I have briefly scanned some of my old journals that record my previous visits to Antarctica’s Far East. While the timing of our arrival is a bit late, we should still encounter numerous Emperor Penguins. Many will be fledging to be sure, but I believe we will be in time and Emperors should be about in numbers. Depending on the type of season the penguins experienced, fledging could extend well into the 3rd week of December and even the 4th week. So we should have a good shot at them. There is an Emperor colony among the grounded icebergs of the Peterson Bank, offshore of Casey Station. Off Haswell Island at Mirnyy Station, there is a large Emperor colony. There is another large Emperor colony (Amanda Bay) between Australia’s Davis Station and the Chinese Base. Near the Australian base of Mawson is another large Emperor rookery (Auster). Yet another rookery is located to the north of Kloa Point (Flutter Rookery). We should have some good Emperor Penguin Experiences.”