The power of penguins
Nose to beak, beady eye to eye, I offered a penguin my bare hand in greeting. Even after my first, slightly woozy, ride in a helicopter, perched precariously with duffel bags under my arms and electronic equipment on my lap, the first thing I wanted to do upon landing was wrap a penguin in a big hug. Even as adults, these African penguins were so adorable, waddling with happy bellies full of fish. Their chicks were endearing balls of gray fluff begging to be cuddled. “She’s a new one, isn’t she?” the park ranger behind me chuckled. “Here, sister, you’re forgetting these,” he said, handing me a pair of elbow-length gloves reinforced with duct tape – necessary because African penguins’ beaks are razor-sharp, designed to tear through flesh. And those powerful flippers of theirs, so efficient at zooming underwater, are also well designed for smacking errant researchers. This was the first, but definitely...