Strange but true penguin story

There is something appealing about penguins, here is our collection
featuring tales of this curious Antarctic bird.

• From Table Mountain National Park in South Africa
• Giant Penguin Holds up Train
• Penguins Examine Elvis for Themselves
• Elvis has a new pair of blue shoes
• Penguin Story of Pierre
• Penguin Love Story
• Tale of the
  Penguin Who is Afraid of Water

1) From Table Mountain National Park in South Africa.

2) Giant Penguin Holds up Train

Neuwied – Germany

Udo Vergens, a German train driver, thought that he saw a man lying face down on the track.  What could Udo do?  What would you do?  Well Udo slammed on the
train’s
emergency breaks.  Fortunately, the train came screeching to a halt barely 2 metres from the body.   When Udo got close, he could see that it was not a man in a tuxedo, but a giant toy
penguin.

Passengers were less impressed as their journey was disrupted because of Udo’s
emergency stop.

A Neuwied police
spokesman said: ‘We are at a loss to explain the presence of this very large penguin.

‘We would think you would notice if you lost something like this.’
Talking of notices, this is what the train driver missed:

2a) Penguins Crossing

The above picture entices you to make up your own penguin story.  Why
are the penguins crossing; where could they be going?  What about the fast
penguins, where do they cross?

3)
Penguins Examine Elvis

4) Elvis has a new pair of blue shoes

While they are not suede,
they will keep the little blue penguin’s feet dry and infection-free. Elvis and 16 other little blues who arrived at the International Antarctic Centre in September have been given specially designed shoes
after several penguins developed sore feet in their new home. Brought from Napier’s Marineland to take centre stage at the Antarctic Centre’s Penguin Encounter display, the penguins are “second-chance” birds.
Many have disabilities due to injuries.

Antarctic Centre director Richard Benton said some of the penguins had developed sore feet, which had proved “tricky” to treat. Veterinarian Pauline Howard had
suggested rubber shoes. Snugly tailored, with a springy sole, the shoes are available in kelp green or penguin blue – to complement any penguin tuxedo.

Benton said some of the penguins had developed calluses
from their new environment. Foot calluses were a common problem for penguins as they spent most of their time fishing at sea and were hardly ever on their feet. ‘Captive penguins, however, can become a bit lazy
and will spend a lot of time standing around waiting for their fish to come to them,’ he said. The arrival of the penguins has boosted visitor numbers by 60 per cent, he added.

5) Penguin Story of Pierre

It is a fact that penguins swim in the water and generally enjoy themselves
in wet conditions. However, Will and Guy have discovered that Pierre, the
jackass penguin, who lives at the California Academy of Sciences, dislikes the
wet stuff.

Sadly, this is because Pierre is losing his feathers; he is going bald,
especially around his bottom, and since penguins rely on their waterproof
feathers for warmth, losing his feathers made Pierre unwilling to jump in the
penguin tank with his 19 friends. The poor little fellow stood shivering on the
side.

Consequently, Oceanic Worldwide, a dive-supply company, dressed Pierre in a
specially tailored wet suit that covers his body and has slits for his flippers.

We are delighted to inform our readers that while Pierre has been wearing his
wet suit , his feathers have grown again and he is now ready to swim in the nude
again.

It is a sobering fact that the number of jackass penguins [which are found
only off the coast of southern Africa] have decreased from 1.2 million birds in
1930 to only 120,000 today.

6) Penguin Love Story

6a) Amazing, Amusing and True Penguin Story

A Chinese aquarium staged a wedding for two penguins during their mating
season.

Wuhan East Lake Ocean World, China, planned the wedding for the two
black-footed penguins. The groom, called Little Brat, and his bride, Little
Beauty, were dressed up by aquarium staff for the ceremony. The groom wore a
tie and the bride was dressed in a red blouse as they stepped into their icy
wedding room to the music of the Wedding March. For their reception, the
love birds enjoyed their favourite dish: spring fish.

7) Tale of the Penguin
Who is Afraid of Water

Keepers at a British zoo said a resident penguin with a fear of water has
become a hit with curious park visitors. Staff at Blackbrook Zoological Park
in Leek, England, said 11-year-old Kentucky the Humbolt penguin developed a
phobia of water because he was born a runt and had problems with losing
feathers too quickly, making the water too cold for his comfort, Will and
Guy have learned.

The poor little fellow finds that it’s a bit too cold for him in the
water, so he spends all his time on the rocks just walking around, says the
zoo’s assistant bird keeper. It’s a bit of a pain having to go over
especially to him to feed him because he won’t go in the water, but he’s a
real character and everyone at the zoo loves him. We’ve got one of the
biggest collections of birds in Europe here but Kentucky is a real a crowd
pleaser. He has become quite famous because it’s quite unusual for penguins
not to like the water. Apparently the keepers douse Kentucky with water at
least twice a day to keep his feathers healthy and clean.

8) Ralph the
Bald Humboldt Penguin Gets a Wetsuit

A bald penguin has been given a specially-designed wetsuit to help
protect him from the risk of sunburn.

Penguins moult every year Will and Guy have been informed by their vet
friend. This usually takes between four to six weeks to complete. Sad to
report, Ralph, a nine year old Humboldt penguin, lost all of his feathers in
one day, exposing his pale pink skin to the sun.

So to protect him, Ralph’s keepers made him a wetsuit out of the leg of
an adult wetsuit donated by a member of the staff at Marwell Zoo in
Hampshire, England. The wetsuit will protect Ralph’s sensitive skin until
his new feathers have grown through, which his keepers think will take
another two to three weeks. The stretchy material lets Ralph move around
normally, and after a few minutes adjusting he was happily back to swimming
around in the penguin pool.

9) Who’s is that behind me?

See another penguin story with pictures
—>

Footnote:
Please send us your penguin story.