The Emperor Penguin!

An absolutely “must see” documentary

( It will make you ponder the human condition )

With the perpetually frozen waste at the South Pole in need of an infusion of life, the creator decided to inoculate that frigid region with a special and very durable colony of feathered creatures, Emperor Penguins. These are aquatic birds that cannot fly. They prefer to swim in icy waters and walk or belly flop on the snow and ice.

This fantastic documentary illustrates how at the beginning of each Antarctic winter, these birds join in a slow march from the water's edge to a solid surfaced breeding ground. The distance some have to travel could be as much as 70 miles. But mind you, this migration takes place during six months of polar darkness at temperatures lower than 50 degrees below zero and while the winds howl at speeds greater than 100 mph. And what do they do when they arrive at their destination? They pair off, they copulate and they bring forth a chick (or two).

What follows, is also astonishing. The mother passes off the hatched chick to the father to tend and protect while she returns to their swimming grounds, where she dives into the water and quickly gulps all the fish she can swallow (penguins can dive more than 1700 feet and remain submerged for as long as 15 minutes). Finally, engorged with food, she starts her march back to the rookery. When she locates her mate and offspring, she slowly regurgitates the contents of her gizzard into the little one's gaping and peeping mouth. Temporarily relieved of his paternal duty, the starving father, having had no sustenance for four months, begins his own return to their habitat. Following waveringly in his wake, the mother and their growing chick waddle after him.

The devotion, the dedication, the tenderness and the (sans lust) love that these aquatic birds exhibit are beyond belief. By comparison, the faults and shortcomings of the human race are glaringly conspicuous. The penguin's serenity and equanimity, its balance, its determination and its incandescent clarity of goal and role are in sharp contrast to the human being's unrelenting violence and self-destructive dissonance? But what is it that a species really needs, to survive and be at peace with itself? It would appear, from viewing this documentary, that perhaps greater reliance on instinct than "intelligence" may be the answer.

Please Note: This fascinating film describes a specific colony of Emperor Penguins, whose abode lies along one of the coldest coasts of Antarctica. There are about 17 species of penguins and they are distributed widely along the southernmost tips of Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand and even the Galapagos Islands. Although all penguins may look alike, each species has its own distinctive physical and behavioral characteristics.

Comments:
mailto:domgab85@aol.com