Antarctica

Today I visited the Christchurch International Antarctic Centre. Among its many displays, the center houses up to twenty-six rescued Little Blue Penguins in the New Zealand Penguin Encounter. (By the way, the penguins pictured above are not real penguins. They are part of a display at the entrance.) Little Blue Penguins that are injured or maimed and cannot survive in the wild are brought to the enclosure where they are nursed back to health. If you look closely, you can see that each penguin is wearing a pair of purple socks - this is because the penguins aren't used to the rough surface of the rocks in the enclosure, so the fabric helps keep their feet from getting irritated. Visitors can view the penguins from underwater as they swim, or as they come ashore on the rocks, and when caretakers are feeding them or adjusting their foot-coverings. The penguin the caretaker is holding in the photo is named Fats, he is the biggest of the bunch, and he has been in the enclosure the longest. Check out his purple socks! Here are the real penguins:








After we saw the penguins, we were treated to the Snow and Ice Experience, where temperatures dropped below -20 degrees fahrenheit, and machines simulated the sights and sounds of an Antarctic windstorm. The center's exhibition gives an exhaustive overview of the history of Antarctic exploration. The Little Blue Penguins were the definite highlight!