AUSTRALIA- Is there anything cuter than pets wearing clothes? How about tiny adorable penguins wearing sweaters? (Can’t handle the cuteness!)
Penguins wearing sweaters is a real thing, and it has been proven that these sweaters have been a wildly successful method of rehabilitating oil slicked penguins.
The Philip Island Penguin Foundation put out the word that they were in need of sweaters for their penguin rehab program, Knits for Nature. The foundation says “a patch of oil the size of a thumb nail can kill a little penguin. Oiled penguins often die from exposure and starvation. Oil separates and mats feathers, allowing water to get in which makes a penguin very cold, heavy and less able to successfully hunt for food.”
The last major oil spill near Philip Island was in 2001, where 438 little penguins were affected. 96% were successfully rehabilitated and saved at the clinic then released back into the wild.
When the nurses at Alfred “Alfie” Date’s nursing home heard about the Knit for Nature program, they knew that the 109 year old knitter would be a big help. In an interview with Ninemsn, an Australian news website, Date told them, ” I’m a sucker. I can’t say no,” when asked to help someone in need. He believes “It’s a good way of getting along in life. You make friends all the time but you don’t make a fool of yourself either.”
Date’s knitting skills span 80 years, when a family member gave him some wool and knitting needles, asking him to knit a sweater for his newborn nephew (who was born in 1931 and could be your grandfather BTW.)
The foundation was flooded with donations and no longer require any.
In the words of an Aussie, Alfie you are a legend.
See Alfie knitting here.
