25th April Penguin day

World Penguin Day is a celebratory and educative initiative that encourages people to learn more about penguins and their environment, how important they are to our ecosystems and the threats they face. 

Found all over the Southern Hemisphere, from Antarctica to the Galápagos Islands, penguins are famous for their endearing waddles, their dedicated chick hatching efforts and, for those based in icy climates, their trick of huddling to stay warm. 

While the day originated from the Adélie penguin’s migration habits, it celebrates all species of penguin and highlights the plight of these water-loving creatures. Of the 17 or so species around today sadly 10 of them have been deemed endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and 3 are considered near threatened.

I have written about penguins before here, but as they are a favourite animal of mine and it was along time ago I do want to celebrate it again. In the last week of last term at school I happened to share two penguin books with Year 2 who had been looking at Australian animals and animal classification. I read to them about Little Penguins because they are a penguin that they may see on mainland Australia. We used to have quite a group of them in Sydney, but dogs and foxes have meant this small colony is no longer easy to see. Some of the children had been to Phillip Island in Victoria.

One of the  two books I read,  Flipper and Finnegan  by Sophie Cunningham is about two Little Penguins from Phillip Island who are caught in an oil spill. They were saved from the effects of the oil by knitted jumpers. You can see and hear the book read by ABC Education.

The other  Chooks in Dinner Suits  by Diane Jackson-Hill is also about a Little Penguin colony on a Middle Island off the coast of Warrnambool in Victoria. They too were in danger, this time from foxes and dogs who could get to the island at low tide and attack the penguins. A farmer suggested using dogs such as he had to guard his free-range chickens on the island to guard the penguins. These Mareema dogs do an amazing job during the penguin breeding season. You can see the island and dogs in this film clip or this one.

Another book I could have read is The Accidental Penguin Hotel  by Andrew Kelly which is about the story of a Little Penguin colony who have made their home on a man-made breakwater in St Kilda in Melbourne. It shows children that penguin colonies can adapt and thrive in city areas.

For more penguin books especially ones about the other 16 types of penguins see here.