On World Penguin Day, conservation organizations are working
to raise awareness of the threats facing the world's 18 species of
penguin. We're doing our part at Vox by helping you understand the
cutest activism controversy ever, which has consumed — one might even
say snuggled — the Internet a few times in recent years: whether or not
it is a good idea to knit a sweater for a penguin.
1. Wait, what? Why do penguins need sweaters? I thought they were threatened by the earth getting too hot!
Penguins face a lot of threats. Global warming is definitely one — according to this
valuable-but-depressing data visualization
from the Pew Charitable Trusts, 12 of the 18 species of penguins are
threatened by climate change. But some penguin species are also
threatened by pollution, particularly oil spills. When penguins come
into contact with oil in the wake of a spill, conservationists put them
in sweaters so they don't try to eat the oil off their feathers before
they can be washed off. After they're washed, the sweaters help keep the
penguins warm, and waterproof, until their feathers and natural oils
can recover.
2. What type of penguins are we talking about here?
The most famous "sweaters for penguins" campaigns have been for a
species of penguin called "little penguins" (seriously). They live in
Australia and New Zealand. Here's what they look like when they're not
covered in oil:
An adult little penguin is returned to the wild after a rehab assignment. Brendon Thorne/Getty
Here's what they look like when they are:
A penguin rescued after a 2011 oil spill in New Zealand. SUNLIVE New Zealand/Getty
3. Real talk: does putting penguins in sweaters actually work?
The Penguin Foundation, which exists solely to protect Australia's little penguin population, certainly thinks it does. They work with the Tasmanian Conservation Truston
the "Knits for Nature" program, which has actually existed for over a
decade. The first public sweaters-for-penguins campaign, after an oil
spill in Tasmania in 2002, produced 15,000 sweaters. Some were used
immediately, and the rest were put in emergency kits around Tasmania.
4. Isn't it uncomfortable for the penguin?
Some bird researchers think it is. The organization International Bird Rescue
points out that penguins overheat easily, so putting an oil-smothered
penguin in a layer of thick wool might not be the best idea.
Additionally, traumatized wild penguins might not like the added stress
of a human being putting something over their heads and onto their
bodies. And if the sweater prevents some of the oil from evaporating off
the penguin, it could exacerbate the damage of the spill.
5. Do conservationists still use penguin sweaters?
Yes, but they have plenty already.
Between the original stockpile of sweaters, a 2011 campaign (run by a
knitting site) that went viral, and the sweaters charities get from
random people who hear about penguins needing sweaters, the Knits for
Nature campaign has plenty in reserve.
You're welcome to knit a sweater for a penguin if you really want — the pattern is available
here.
But if it's made of the wrong kind of wool, is the wrong size, or is
just one sweater too many, the Penguin Foundation will put it on a
stuffed penguin to sell as a way to raise awareness about little penguin
conservation. That's what happens to most of the sweaters they receive.
Generally, charities tend to prefer that you donate money rather than
goods. The original penguin campaign was an exception, because of the
urgent need (and because they couldn't order them from a factory). But
this is a good lesson that the donation you want to make might not be
the donation the charity needs.
6. How threatened are little penguins, anyway?
There aren't many of them in the wild — just 300,000 breeding pairs. But the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), which runs the official Red List of Threatened Species, has the
threat level for little penguins set to its lowest level: Least
Concern. This makes them much less threatened than a lot of other
penguin species: 15 of 18 species of penguins are at a higher threat
level, and 5 of them are officially "endangered," according to the IUCN.
7. What kind of penguins should I be worried about?
The IUCN lists the African, erect-crested, Galapagos, Northern
clodhopper, and yellow-eyed penguins as "endangered." They range in
population size from 265,000 Northern rockhopper breeding pairs to only
1,700 breeding pairs of yellow-eyed penguins.
8. Do those penguins need sweaters?
No. Pollution isn't the biggest threat facing these species, according to Pew.
Most of them are immediately threatened by humans encroaching on and
degrading their habitats, and need stronger protections for their
foraging and breeding grounds.
9. What can I do instead to help the penguins?
You can start on Pew's
World Penguin Day
site, which has a few resources and recommendations, along with
profiles of each penguin species. If you're interested in doing more for
one of the endangered penguin species, consider donating to the
Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds,
which has partnered with American aquaria on penguin conservation. If
you'd like to donate closer to home, check out this list of
top zoos from Charity Navigator, which rates charities based on how effectively they're managed.
source
Humboldt Penguin about to dive
Southern Rockhopper Penguin
Parent and chick, Humboldt Penguins
Alasdair Davies / ZSL
Alasdair Davies / ZSL
