Tourists who are enjoying the glamour of Rio de Janeiro's beaches are being joined by some unexpected visitors - penguins from Patagonia.
Hundreds of half-starved penguins, many bearing the scars of shark bites, have been waddling ashore on some of the world's most famous tropical beaches - and experts suspect it could be the result of global warming. When the birds arrive they are exhausted after the 2,000-mile swim from the penguin colonies on the Valdes Peninsula, near the Patagonian Welsh community of Trelew.
While most of the penguins are taken to the zoo to recover, some are being kept as pets by Brazilian fishermen, who feed them sardines and even walk them on a leash. "You wouldn't believe how many people put these penguins in freezers when they rescue them," Mr Valdir Ramos, chief mammal biologist at the Rio zoo, said. "Of course, they mostly die."
In a typical year about 40 stray penguins used to arrive between June and August. But in 1999 the number rose, and last year about 300 arrived.