Subject: [Fwd: Penguin Story: a Good Yarn]
Date: May 24 11:02:43 2001
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


I thought this was of interest, although for the life of me I didn't know
there were penguins in the northern hemisphere.

>SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's fairy penguins are all set
>for winter and any oil spills after 1,000 tiny woolly jerseys
>were specially knitted and sent from as far away as Japan to
>the Australian island state of Tasmania.
>The jerseys, which cover the 40 cm (15 inches) tall
>penguins from neck to ankle, stop oil-coated penguins from
>preening themselves and ingesting poisonous oil.
>And for the fashion-conscious penguin there is a wide
>choice of colors and designs, even a black and white tuxedo
>number, complete with bow tie.
>The Tasmanian Conservation Trust made a local appeal
>earlier this year for the penguin jerseys after oil spills on
>the coast of Tasmania, not realizing they would be inundated.
>"They have come from everywhere, even as far away as Japan.
>Someone in New York asked for a pattern, but we haven't
>received it yet," Jo Castle, a spokeswoman for the Trust said
>on Monday.
>The pattern is based on one used for penguins in the
>northern hemisphere, only smaller. "It was re-designed for the
>little penguins in the southern hemisphere," said Castle.
>"They (the penguins) are not very happy about them, but
>they cover them from neck to ankle which stops them preening
>themselves and ingesting poisonous oil," she said.
>Castle said knitters, many old ladies in nursing homes,
>made jerseys in their favorite football team colors, used
>scraps of wool to make patchwork tops, and some knitted woolly
>tuxedos in keeping with a penguin's natural colors.


Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html