Everybody loves penguins. They basically have everything you could ask for in a cute animal. From their wobbly walk to their tuxedo charm, they have an irresistible aura about them. Since penguins have been on Earth they have spent their time making the most out of their life. Huddling together for warmth at night and tobogganing down snowy slopes, sometimes I wish I was a penguin myself. Yet, in recent times, they have come under fire from a universal plague that has affected most every animal in the world. Thanks to us, we could see the extinction of even the grandest of penguins, the Emperor Penguin, by the end of the century. But here's the kicker: this isn't even the first time penguins have gone extinct! In fact, the penguins you are thinking of now aren't even penguins at all.
In fact, the original, real "penguins" never even set foot in Antarctica. They were native to the North Atlantic near the North Pole on rocky islands like Greenland and Canada. These birds were also commonly referred to as the great auk, a big flightless bird that looks quite a bit like the penguins we know today. They had the same tuxedo outfit and upright stance, and were similarly just as cute. Unfortunately, the great auk didn't stand a chance against humans who hunted it to extinction by the mid 1800s. The last known great auk was seen in 1844. The story of the great auk is something we see repeated again in modern times. It's one of so many examples of how human actions can completely wipe out an entire species.
Unlike so many other species, however, we have some sort of a second chance with the albeit fake penguins. While the great auk is long gone, the tuxedo birds of the southern hemisphere we know and love are still here, though they still face great danger. It's up to us that they don't meet the fate of their northern brethren. By protecting their habitats, cutting down on overfishing, and fighting climate change, we can help ensure these amazing birds stick around. We’ve already lost one “penguin”—let’s not lose any more.
Daniel Kim (August 2024)