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penguins

Joy

People are gushing over penguins picking out the perfect 'lucky charm' for their mate

“Oh to be a little penguin picking out a pretty rock for my love."

@detroitzoo/TikTok

This is too adorable.

Humans weren’t the only ones celebrating St. Paddy’s Day last Sunday. Penguins at the Detroit Zoo got in on the fun as well, only with more Valentine’s vibes.

“Love is king during penguin nesting time,” read the onscreen text for a video posted to the zoo’s TikTok, as the aquatic love birds scanned through a pile of colorful pebbles, searching for the perfect gift to present their partner. How romantic.

Out in the wild, this adorable courtship ritual is pretty standard, at least for Gentoo penguins. Male gentoos find a polished stone or pebble to offer their potential mates—Mother Nature’s engagement ring, if you will.

And just like many males of the human species, male penguins work very, very hard to find that perfect stone. After all, these are not only tokens of affection, but the literal building blocks of their nests, since they can withstand the wet, cold climate and protect their soon-to-be families.

Luckily for the penguins at the Detroit Zoo, they had plenty of beautiful options, aka “lucky charms” to choose from. And the zoo explained in the clip, each stone was “lovingly painted with non-toxic paint” by their Tots and Teens program.

Folks who watched the sweet pebble procuring were instantly enamored.

“Oh to be a little penguin picking out a pretty rock for my love,” one viewer wrote.

“Imagine painting a rock and then finding out a penguin uses it as an engagement rock,” wrote another.

Naturally, many were reminded of the 1995 cartoon “The Pebble and the Penguin,” starring Martin Short, Jim Belushi and Tim Curry.

Watch below, and marvel at these little creatures whose love language is obviously gift-giving.

@detroitzoo 🌈 Oh, what luck! 🌈 The penguins were gifted some "lucky charms" to give to their mates during nesting season! 🐧 #detroitzoo #detroit #zoo #penguins #matingseason #luckycharms #paintedpebbles #pretty #cute #michigan ♬ original sound - DetroitZoo

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animals
Nature

Penguins in New Zealand repeatedly detained after showing 'complete disregard for police authority.'

Wellington District Police

Some animals have no respect for authority. Rogue penguins are disobeying the police in New Zealand, and they can't stop, won't stop.

Two little blue penguins were spotted at Sushi Bi near the Wellington railway station, allegedly trying to nest. The penguins had to cross through busy lanes of traffic running between the harbor and the sushi bar.

The dangerous duo was detained by the police, then released back into Wellington Harbour.

Using the 'dictionary definition of racism' defense is a sure sign you don't understand racism.

"The waddling vagrants were removed from their sushi stand refuge earlier today by Constable John Zhu," the police said. "Unsurprisingly, this was not the first report police had received about the fishy birds."

We're not sure if they were casing the joint or just out on a joy ride. Either way, these penguins were anything but scared straight by their run in with the law. The very next day, the penguins returnedto the scene of the crime and were spotted at Sushi Bi. Again, they were removed and put back in the harbor.

Sushi Bi employee Shawnee Kim said the penguins were "really cute" and tried feeding them salmon. They wouldn't eat the salmon, which means their crime spree isn't about stealing goods. Little blue penguins start looking for nests in July, and start breeding in August. It's likely these two were looking for a spot to get their nesting on.


Someone named 'Jeffrey' or 'Michael' is more likely to be a CEO than a woman.

The location is now being monitored just in case the penguins return to their wicked ways. Penguin recidivism is a problem, apparently. "It's a natural characteristic of the penguins - they will always return to where they possibly were nesting," Department of Conservation volunteer Mike Rumble said. Rumble helped with the removal of the penguin perps. "That's why here, tonight, even though this is a good 200m-300m away, I wouldn't be surprised if the owner of the sushi bar says 'they're back.'"

The appearance of these rogue penguins might be a good thing. The population of little blue penguins is starting to thrive due to recent conservation efforts. Not to mention, it's completely adorable.

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Thrilling penguin news! Chile is killing an iron mine that would harm the waddly birds.

Ah, Chile. While not typically top of mind for the average American, the unassuming coastal strip has quietly become a sort of ... yang to our yin. The delicate floral sucking candy to our taste-bud-annihilating chocolate-caramel-peanut butter-sour-red-hot mouth bomb.

And, increasingly, they are the #RESIST window sticker to America's MAGA hat.

While the Trump administration rolls back LGBTQ protections, Chile's president is touting a marriage equality bill. While dozens of U.S. states are trying to regulate out as many Planned Parenthood clinics as the law will allow, Chilean lawmakers recently relaxed the country's abortion ban, which was one of the world's strictest (though their new law carves out several exceptions, the procedure is still largely banned in Chile, but still — progress!).

Now, the skinny South American nation is once again playing the U.S.'s bizarro world doppelganger — by siding with a bunch of penguins in a dispute with a mining company.

Photo by Martin Bernetti/Getty Images.

According to an AFP report, Chile recently killed a $2.5-billion iron-mining project to save the health (and, potentially, lives) of thousands of the waddly little birds.

The project was slated to be built just south of three islands where over 80% of the world's Humboldt penguins live and would include a port to ship iron all over the world. A review by 14 agencies found that the plan failed to sufficiently guarantee that the animals would not be affected.

"We are not against economic development or projects that are necessary for the country's growth, but they must offer adequate solutions for the impact they will have," Environment Minister Marcelo Mena told the AFP.

That's not just the polar opposite of what the U.S. would do. It's the polar opposite of what the U.S. government actually is doing.

Blowing up this mountain in Virginia to get at the coal underneath seems fine. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

In August, the Interior Department outlined a plan to prioritize oil extraction over efforts to protect the greater sage-grouse, a grassland bird that looks like the result of an unforgettable evening between a peacock, a porcupine, and a tarantula.

Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under President Trump, canceled an Obama-era rule designed to protect whales and sea turtles from fishing nets.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration wants to blow up mountaintops so badly they've stopped studying whether doing so is detrimental to the health and safety of animals — and human beings — that live nearby.

It's not just Chile stepping up either, at least where safeguarding the natural world we all share is concerned.

Just ask the 195 other countries that signed the Paris Climate Accord — which commits parties to holding the Earth's temperature rise below two degrees Celsius — that President Trump announced the U.S. would soon be leaving.

It all adds up to a pretty clear message: The rest of the world is getting with the program, while the U.S. government is sitting here, arms folded, hoping rare birds can adjust to a coal dust and jagged pebble diet.

Photo by Martin Bernetti/Getty Images.

Want the U.S. to get back on the bandwagon? You can let your elected representatives know how you feel and help out groups, like the Environmental Defense Fund, that are pushing back against regulation rollback.

In the meantime, thanks to their friends in Chile, a few thousand penguins are getting to celebrate the news of a lifetime. It may not be happening in the U-S-of-A, but it's a Hollywood ending all the same. (Anyone know how to say "Morgan Freeman" in Spanish?)

Most Shared

How middle schoolers and a 3D printer built this penguin a walking shoe.

3D printing just gave this penguin his sea legs back.

What happens when a bunch of middle schoolers, an aquarium, and rad new technology get together to help a penguin? Answer: brilliant results.

GIF from 3D Systems/YouTube.

Purps, a 23-year-old African penguin, suffered an injury to her left leg in a spat with another bird back in 2011. She tore a flexor tendon, which is similar to a human tearing their Achilles tendon in their ankle, an injury that often affects walking.

Her caretakers at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, fashioned a makeshift boot out of moldable plastic to help her walk, but it was time-consuming to make and bulky. There had to be a better solution out there.

GIF from 3D Systems/YouTube.

When Kelly Matis, vice president of communications and conservation at the aquarium, learned that the local middle school had recently acquired a 3D printer, she realized it was the perfect opportunity for some community teamwork.

Enter the creative, genius students from Mystic Middle School.

After the aquarium reached out to the school, the kids came to meet Purps.

Image via 3D Systems/YouTube.

They knew they wanted to help her by using their 3D printer, but weren't exactly sure how to create the design.

Enter Connecticut-based 3D equipment and services company ACT, who initially supplied the school with their new printer.

ACT brainstormed a better-fitting, lighter boot design, then went back to the kids and taught them how to put the plan into action.

Mold of Purps' foot and ankle. Image via 3D Systems/YouTube.

“The students truly amazed us in how their creative thinking, imagination and intuitiveness led this process,” said Nick Gondek, director of additive manufacturing and applications engineer at ACT, in a statement.

Mystic Middle School kids. Image via 3D Systems/YouTube.

With the help and guidance of ACT, the students created a much more functional boot for Purps and even utilized a computer software program called Geomagic Sculpt to give it treads for traction.

Penguin-sized boot with traction. Image via 3D Systems/YouTube.

The students' innovative efforts alongside the help from ACT and the Mystic Aquarium resulted in this penguin walking up a storm.

Purps walks! Image via 3D Systems/YouTube.

The students were thrilled to get to see their work really make a difference.

It just goes to show that a little inspiration, creativity, and collaboration can help a penguin go a long way.

Check out Purps' whole story below:

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