Up to 200 penguins are thought to be dead with additional damage to
water quality in the area following an oil slick in Brazil.
Reports claim the spill occurred off the coast of two Brazilian states, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
As yet the ship from which the spill has come is unidentified, while the oil-drenched penguins have been washing up on beaches in the area for a week.
The vessel in question is believed to have been on the high sea south of Santa Catarina, with an
environmental analysis to ascertain the source of the leak now being conducted.
Marcelo Duarte, of the Santa Catarina state environmental police, said: "There is no patrolling across the coastline so that we can have an idea of which ship is responsible for the leak."
He added that this was a route through which hundreds of vessels pass daily, with it being complicated to pinpoint the ship responsible.
Santa Catarina has a number of beaches along its 560km coastline which act as a tourist attraction.
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