Merle Davenport, a 98-year-old Australian resident, knits woolen sweaters for penguins.
Thanks to such clothes, Phillip Island baby penguins do not freeze and do not suffer from oil.
Davenport lives in Victoria.
She has been knitting colorful sweaters for penguins for the past 18 years. In total, the Australian knitted over a thousand items for the Penguin Foundation.
In 2014, Davenport visited the island to see the baby penguins.
It is noted that even a very small slick of oil can kill a penguin, as the oil separates the feathers and opens the “access” for water.
Because of this, the birds freeze, get heavier, and become less capable of obtaining food.
Sweater penguins live on land until they are recognized as “water-resistant”.
As for the sweaters, they come from all over the world.
If the clothes are not suitable for real penguins, then they put them on toy ones and sell them.
Since 2001, there have been no oil spills in the area of the island, so Davenport sweaters are being stored in case of future incidents.
