We never thought that something so cute could be a lifesaver. The Penguin Foundation on Phillip Island is saving waddling little penguin’s lives by making them wear tiny sweaters.
When penguins get caught in oil spills their feathers get stuck together and matted. Sticky feathers make it difficult for them to keep warm and to find food. So they wear these cute and cozy sweaters while they are waiting for their turn to be cleaned. It also discourages the penguins from trying to clean themselves and in turn accidently swallowing toxic oil.
After the penguins are finally cleaned they have to give up their threads, (sad face) but then they are sent back to their homes in their “birthday suits” which are just as cute as the sweaters.
Super knitter Merle Davenport, who is 95 years old, has whipped up over 1000 sweaters. The Penguin Foundation has a few other faithful volunteers to help out with knitting the darling sweaters, but they still need more!
If you’d like to knit a sweater too, you can get the pattern here.
Credit: BuzzFeed