Want to knit a sweater for a penguin?
New Zealand is calling on knitters to help penguins affected by the recent oil spill.
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I hope all my knit-wit crafter friends make at least one. If you need a couple of bucks for yarn let me know.
When penguins get covered in oil, their bodies can no longer regulate the temperature. They were the sweaters so they do not freeze to death. Once their feathers as back to the way they should be, the sweaters are removed and they are release back to the wild.
It says on the store's blog that they've got enough sweaters now. A few years ago when this happened in Australia, the rescue groups apparently ended up with thousands of extra sweaters. I know the penguins are cute, but still.
So, they may have enough for now but what happens when the next spill happens. If this call generates several thousand more sweaters which are ready for deployment in the next oil spill then the penguins are the winners and everyone who knits a sweater is contributing to a good cause. To use a Girl Scout and Boy Scout slogan...BE PREPARED!
I was wondering the same thing. What about an international wildlife organization stepping up to be a repository for such items in preparedness for future similar rescue efforts?
Another question: can these knitted jumpers be beneficial for other waterfowl exposed to oil spills? I bet the knitters could modify a knitting pattern quickly enough.
I'm a spinner and knitter; I'm read to contribute to such a great effort.
Is this for real? What happens when they dive in the water and the sweaters are waterlogged? Or the sweaters catch on things?
Dear, it keeps the penguins from ingesting oil while preening their feathers. This would be while they are captured and cleaned. I imagine they are not released with the sweaters.
This is brilliant, and I must say they do look a lot more stylish then peoples cats and dogs dressed up.
I just hope they don’t over heat in those things. We wouldn’t want to add to their problems.
