Ile Aux Cochons

Ile Aux Cochons

Île aux Cochons, also known as Pig Island, is an uninhabited island in the sub-Antarctic Crozet archipelago. It is the third largest island in the group with an area of 67 km. The island, located about 30 km northwest of Île des Pingouins and 15 km southwest of Îlots des Apôtres, is the westernmost island of the archipelago. The island is an eroded volcanic cupola, dotted with inactive craters, and a shoreline composed in part of low cliffs. Non-native species are the cat, hare and mouse. The pigs that gave the name to the island have been exterminated. Visits by researchers are rare as there is no human infrastructure in the area. However, like the other islands in the archipelago, it has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International as a seabird breeding site and is particularly noted for its large penguin populations. It was home to the world's largest colony of King Penguins, with around half a million breeding pairs in the 1980s, but by 2018 this had dropped to 60,000 pairs for reasons that remain unexplained. Gentoo Penguins, Macaroni Penguins and Northern Rockhopper Penguins are also found in significant numbers. In addition, the largest population of the Indian Ocean's Wandering Albatross (approximately 1200 pairs), four million pairs of Medium-Billed Prions and one million pairs of South Georgia Diving Petrels are found here. Large populations of Southern Elephant Seals, Antarctic Fur Seals and Subantarctic Fur Seals also inhabit the island.