Brrr, baby it's cold outside!
Time to root around in your closet for your favorite cuddly sweater, or knit a brand new one…for a penguin?
Yes, these adorable little penguins are wearing a rainbow of lovely sweaters (or as the Aussies call them, "jumpers") at the Wildlife Clinic at Phillip Island Nature Parks in Australia for one very important reason.
The penguins at the Clinic have been the victims of oil spills, and the sweaters prevent them from cleaning themselves and ingesting the toxic chemicals before they are cleaned up by the clinic staff, USA Today reports.
You can join the effort and help support the penguins through the Knits For Nature program by the Penguin Foundation.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to watch a special news segment on the penguin sweater initiative.
Please SHARE this beautiful effort to save these birds with everyone you know!
1. A patch of oil the size of a thumbnail can be fatal to a penguin, so these jumpers are far more than a fashion statement! The Wildlife Clinic currently has over 400,000 sweaters in storage, as they cannot be reused.
2. "We're amazed at the response the story has received globally and we're enormously grateful to those who have and want to contribute to the cause," Phillip Island Nature Parks research manager, Peter Dann, told USA Today.
3. These six winning sweater designs were chosen earlier this year by the Penguin Foundation as part of their "Knit to Win" competition (and are modeled by stuffed animal penguins!)
4. Through the efforts of the Wildlife Clinic, 96% of penguins affected by oil spills they have rescued have been successfully saved, rehabilitated, and sent back into the wild.
5. "The donations we receive now are a bonus which helps us further fundraise and educate others," Dann said. "It's humbling to think that the world's smallest penguin is receiving so much love from around the world."
Please SHARE this important (and adorable!) conservation story with all of your friends and family!
