The Gwate Pengwin Wescue

The Penguin Rescue

Once again, you see that another oil spill has occurred in north Alaska. You try to think of ways that you could help, but know that you would never be able to manage it or raise enough funds to make a difference. Horrible images play by on your television of different sea creatures covered in the black ooze. You see a penguin trying to preen its feathers of the tar-like substance and watch as it chokes on its own feathers. You want to do something about it, but what? Oil spills are killing marine life and damaging ecosystems all over the world. But lucky for us, some brave and courageous volunteers are helping in many ways to save these penguins from oil spills

A recent oil spill occurred near an island in the Atlantic ocean, almost 40,000 African penguins lived on this large glacier-like surface, and all of them were hit by the spill. But almost instantly after the spill had occurred, volunteers flooded the island, picking up any penguin they could find and enduring excruciating bites from the frightened creatures. These penguins were put in cages and taken to a nearby penguin rescue facility that had been set up in an abandoned warehouse. The penguins had to be force fed by humans by subduing them and then shoving fish down its throat. Ointment is also applied to their severely burn eyes and liquid charcoal is pumped to its stomach to help remove the oil that got into its system. Individually, the penguins are taken to a cleaning station after the ointment and charcoal have done their work, and they are scrubbed of all the dried oil that had hardened on their feathers.

Once the cleaning process is complete, the now human-trusting penguin is put in a crate, shipped back to a beach near the island, and they swim home. Over these few weeks the humans have cleaned up all of the oil that washed up on the beach, and much of it that was in the sea has been washed away. These penguins don’t know that they were part of the greatest penguin rescue that has ever occurred, all they know is that they are back home with the rest of their kind, safe.