For quite some time now, knitted sweaters have been saving penguins affected by oil spills. But in Australia, they now have enough of the sweaters to last quite some time. The Penguin Foundation supposedly issued a global callout for warm pullovers to aid the penguins and keep them from ingesting toxic oil with their beaks while cleaning and to keep them warm despite the lost of their own natural oils.
However, the Penguin Foundation lately has been overwhelmed with the generosity of sweaters and find there is definitely not a drought of sweaters. “We are overwhelmed with offers of little penguin jumpers from across the world and sincerely appreciate the generosity of knitters wanting to help out little penguins,” reads a recent update on The Penguin Foundation’s website. “Please know that we do not urgently require little penguin jumpers for rehabilitation, we have a good supply of these which we use on any rescued oiled penguins and in the event of an oil spill.”
But it turns out it was not the Penguin Foundation calling out for more sweaters, as they have plenty. These faux-callouts have caused several foundations to have an abundance of sweaters and the problem of finding what to do with them.
“The Penguin Foundation raises vital funds for little penguin research, conservation and the Wildlife Clinic through the sale of little penguin jumpers we receive that are the wrong size, shape, type of wool or in excess,” reads the foundation’s website. “Little penguin jumpers are also used as an educational tool to teach students and others about the devastating effects marine and coastal pollution has on marine wildlife and the environment.”