Penguin Jumpers | Pullover für Pinguine

Pullover für Pinguine? Was zunächst unglaublich klingt, ist den Betreibern des Phillip Island Rehabilitation Centre bei Melbourne in Australien sehr ernst. Strick-Sweater retten Frackträgern das Leben. Präventiv hat das Zentrum mehr als 1.000 Mini-Pullover eingelagert, um im Falle einer Öl-Verschmutzung Zwergpinguinen zu helfen. Nach einem Öl-Kontakt schaffen es viele Tiere zum sicheren Ufer, sind dann aber für die aufwändige Reinigungsprozedur zu schwach. Warm eingepackt können sie sich zunächst erholen. Zudem verhindern die Strickmaschen, dass die Tiere sich mit dem Schnabel die giftige Masse aus dem Gefieder picken und sie verschlucken. presse-artikel.org

Mehr Informationen und eine Strickanleitung für Pinguinpullover hier

Phillip Island Nature Parks Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre is prepared and able to cope with up to 1500 penguins in the event of an oil spill. Staff and registered volunteers are trained in the handling and rescue of oiled penguins.
 

Imagine a penguin happily fishing in the sea. It bobs up to the surface for a breath of air and finds itself covered in murky stuff that soaks through its feathers and gets onto its skin. Now, instead of being pleasantly warm in its waterproof coat, it is suddenly feeling the cold seawater and gets quickly chilled. Its first thought is to get to shore so it can preen off the gunk and make itself waterproof again. Many penguins die of hypothermia before they can make it to shore. Others die from swallowing the poisonous oil in an effort to clean themselves.

Those penguins fortunate enough to come ashore at the Penguin Parade or to be quickly found on the beach are collected immediately and taken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. They are re-hydrated and weighed to assess whether they are strong enough for washing. If the penguin is very weak, it may have to wait a few days before it is washed. This is because washing is very stressful for them and an unwell penguin may die.

A 'poncho' or 'jumper' is placed on the penguins to stop them from preening their feathers and ingesting the poisonous oil as they wait to be washed.   (...)

Kind knitters donate hundreds of penguin jumpers to our Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre every year. As well as preventing oiled penguins from being poisoned by toxic oil, the soft ribbed style of the jumper gently "hugs" their body maintaining vital body warmth. penguinfoundation.org.aut 

More information and pattern for knitters to download here.