The AHM Swimsuit Edition

Ready for the Runway

We all know how good new clothes make us feel. Ralph, a bald Humboldt penguin, is enjoying a new lease of life at a Hampshire wildlife park – after being fitted with his own tailor-made wetsuit.

Unlike most Humboldt penguins, who molt their feathers gradually, Ralph’s always fall out in one day. Ralph’s baldness left him at severe risk of sunburn and he faced being kept indoors for three weeks at a time while his new plumage grew in.

David White, assistant manager of Penguin World at Marwell, near Winchester, said: “Ralph is perfectly healthy so we don’t know why his feathers all drop out at once.” He and his colleagues had thought about covering him in sunscreen but realized it would wash off in water. Then they hit on the wetsuit idea and fashioned him the rubber outfit from the leg of a man’s wetsuit. “Ralph must be the first scuba penguin but he seems so at ease that we’ve been thinking maybe we should get him a mask and snorkel as well,” said Mr. White. We at AHM think a snappy fedora (men look good in hats) and perhaps an understated watch would be more attractive accessories, or perhaps some après swimwear.

Keeper Helen Jeffreys added, “Ralph’s really taken to his new suit. It’s not inhibiting him in any way. He’s just getting on with his daily business. All the other penguins were intrigued by his new clothes and they spent a good while checking him out (Not surprising – AH). But when they realized it was still Ralph under the suit they seemed quite happy and don’t really pay it any attention any more.”

I Want That

The debate over form vs function has raged on for years among the fashionable and no clear winner has emerged but the designer of Ralph’s new suit has shown us that the two design philosophies can be merged to create a hot-looking, practical garment; a smile and a curtsy to David White and his team.

Research: Angelina Pieros

Source: The Daily Mail

Tags: penguins