Naked penguin gets outfitted with wetsuit

[reflection]

(This article made me happy. I'm taking a break from all the bad news today)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32479750/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/

For penguins, molting is a natural part of life. It's a process that takes place every year, when old feathers are gradually shed in order to reveal a new coat.

But not for a penguin named Ralph living at the Marwell Wildlife Center in Winchester, England. This 10-year-old Humboldt penguin is unique because every year he sheds all his feathers at once, very quickly, leaving his pale pink skin vulnerable to the hot sun and cold air. What to do with a penguin who is susceptible to sunburn and abrasions from the elements? Get him a wetsuit!

"He's a naked penguin," Bill Hall, Marwell Wildlife's animal information officer tells PEOPLE Pets. "It doesn't seriously affect Ralph. It doesn't make him ill. It's just something that he does."

During an appearance on TODAY, Hall explained that his team figured that if wetsuits keep divers warm and dry, why not Ralph? Zookeepers at the facility fashioned the penguin a suit from the leg of a human wetsuit. When he put it on, Ralph adjusted to it almost instantly, and was ready to get on the move.

[NJmaverick]

1. Guess it beats the alternative

[reflection]

2. .

:spray:

[Deja Q]

8. Envious, thy name is Q...

:spray::spray::spray::spray::spray::spray::spray::spray::spray::spray:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. thank you for posting this. adorable

[NJmaverick]

4. Warning

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BRxLuDdqCUE/SoXsB0eFOpI/AAAAAAAAAYM/kXy6Sc_OYOQ/s400/Penguins_Phils+Phun+090814.jpg

We've looked everywhere else for the little fish-breathed bastards, and that's the only place left to hide.

[reflection]

5. Remember this blast from the past?

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/games/play/1180/

289.5 first try, and I haven't played it in years.

[NJmaverick]

7. wow that was pretty far for a first try

[Blue Diadem]

6. Aww, I'm glad they take such good care of him.

Cute little guy.

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. "Bound, bound, bound and rebound." -Pixar

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. Ralph is cute

:loveya: