In an effort to better understand the functioning of Penguin colonies, Ski Dubai has funded over AED500,000 for a four-week exploratory expedition. This expedition will be conducted by Dr Brent Stewart, a senior research scientist at the Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute. He will be leading a field expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. Scheduled to start on 14 October 2013, he will conduct in-depth studies of penguin colonies for development of long term education, research, and conservation plans. The project, which was developed in conjunction with Ski Dubai, is an extension of the Snow Penguins at Ski Dubai initiative, which seeks to educate people about snow penguins, their habitat and importance of environmental awareness. “Ski Dubai’s collaboration with Hubbs Sea World Research Institute on this project will enable us to gain new insight into lives of snow penguins. This will also aid us channelling our efforts and mobilization of resources into research and implementation of pro-conservation efforts,” said Omar El Banna, marketing and sales director, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment. Dr Stewart will spend a week at Ski Dubai to prepare for his journey and spend time with the colony of Gentoo and King penguins. Source: Travel Daily