Submitted by Erin Jackson on the 2018 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
All of my friends, most acquaintances, and probably a good handful of strangers could tell you that my favorite animal is the penguin. Just from my daily attire and accessories—including a penguin necklace, penguin Vera Bradley wallet, and penguin bag tag on my backpack—it is not a wild assumption to make that I have a slightly serious obsession with the Southern Hemisphere’s most famous flightless bird. As this is my first time in the Southern Hemisphere, it has been my first opportunity to view my favorite animal in the wild. And I am happy to report that I have succeeded in taking advantage of this opportunity.
The first penguin sightng occurred during a seal kayaking excursion in the city of Kaikoura. As the name implies, seals were clearly the highlight of this particular wildlife tour so I wasn’t expecting more. That all changed however when I was told by the guide that he had seen a penguin on an outing earlier that day. From there a little spark of hope grew in my chest and when video evidence of the aforementioned penguin was provided, I was hopelessly set on seeing my favorite animal in its natural habitat. After what felt like hours of getting prepped to go out on the water, we were finally suited up, in the boats and paddling away from shore and towards an experience I’d never forget. Before we even saw any seals, the guides excitedly announced the nearby presence of the world’s smallest species of penguin: the little blue. The name was definitely suitable for the little guy that I soon saw floating carelessly on his belly in the waves as we all gawked and pulled out our cameras. I could have stayed with that little penguin for hours, watching him lazily float along and loving every second of it. However, we had to move along; after all, our group had paid for “seal” kayaking, and thus seeing seals was inherently mandatory.
Luckily, I did not have to wait long before we saw another penguin, this one a little more rare, the yellow-eyed penguin. The second penguin I’d seen in the wild in my life, and the second species, too. I was beyond excited as we paddled up to the rocks where this one was hanging out, looking more like the classic image one imagines when picturing a penguin. Again, I took a fair share of photos, but mostly I just tried to let the moment sink in, paddling around aggressively at times to keep the solitary bird within eyesight of my boat. Needless to say, my day was made.
Since that miraculous day of seeing my favorite animal in the wild, I have since visited the Antarctic Center with my group. There, we were able to see rescued penguins, which included again little blues as well as the white-flippered penguins. Again, they had me transfixed. I really do believe I could watch them all day. The center took good care of them, keeping track of the different penguin couples and even employing a specific veterinarian to look after the penguins (my new absolute dream job). However, I am very glad that I was able to see penguins out in their natural habitat first, as this is something I’ve always dreamed of and something unique to this hemisphere of the world that I may not return to in who knows how long.
Now that I’ve seen penguins, I should have a new goal, a new obsession, right? Nope. I’m more in love with them than ever. In fact, I have a new dream. The woman leading our tour at the Antarctic Center is making her first journey to Antarctica this coming November. Leaving from South America, she will be spending two weeks with a colony of emperor penguins (for a mere $20,000, I might add). She said it has always been her dream. I love all penguins for their uniqueness and their ability to survive in whatever conditions they’re given. I’d love to see them in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, South America and even the Galapagos (as well as any zoo back home!). But absolutely nothing could compare, in my mind, to seeing the true Antarctic penguins huddled together in countless numbers in their natural habitat. While it will definitely take a lot of planning and saving, I think it is good to have a dream. And I will do everything in my power to achieve this one.