Penguins go for gold at Olympics By VIRGINIA WHEELER
Published: 12 May 2009
EXCITED penguins p-p-p-pick up the pace — as they compete in the world’s first Penguin Olympics.
The flightless birds go beak to beak in five different events — showing off their incredible skills at waddling, and hitting swingballs with their flippers.
Madcap New Zealanders — who came up with the idea of the ‘Penguathalon’ — are expected to flock to the event taking place later this month at the the Kelly Tarlton Aquatic Encounter venue near Auckland.
More than 80 penguin species, from King to Gentoo, will compete in football, frisbee, surfing, swingball and waddling contests.
New Zealand tourism chief Gregg Anderson said: "As well as being great fun, the Penguathalon gives people a fantastic chance to get up close with these birds."
The Penguin Camera is located on Torgersen Island (64°46’S, 64°04’W), off the coast of Anvers Island and less than a mile from Palmer Station. Torgersen Island is home to a colony of Adélie penguins numbering approximately 2,500. This camera is seasonal and operates primarily from October to February, the Adélie breeding season. The camera is solar-powered and may sometimes experience brief outages due to inclement weather. School classrooms and other educational demonstrations will often take control of the camera, moving it to gain better views of the colony.
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