by Dyan deNapoli 1 The summer of 2000, I had just finished my rounds tending to the New England Aquarium’s 60 penguins when I got an urgent call from South Africa. The manager of SANCCOB, a seabird rescue center in Cape Town, was on the line. The region’s penguins were in trouble. The cargo ship MV Treasure had sunk off the coast of Cape Town, creating an oil spill. Thirteen hundred tons of fuel oil were flowing near Robben Island, right in the middle of the African penguins’ primary habitat. In a matter of days, thick, toxic liquid had covered about 20,000 penguins. Without swift help, the seabirds would have no chance for survival. 2 SANCCOB had launched a massive rescue operation for the oiled penguins. Volunteers were showing up by the thousands, but they had no experience. The center needed penguin keepers to train the volunteers. Would I help? 3 Two days later, I boarded a plane to South Africa. I was about to take part in what would become the largest animal rescue operation ever attempted. A Startling Silence 4 Just outside Cape Town, a large warehouse had been turned into a rescue center for the oiled penguins. The rescuers had set up makeshift pools, which held about 100 oiled birds each. Hundreds of pools covered the floor. 5 When I first walked into the building, I couldn’t believe my ears. Normally, African penguins are vocal birds. I expected to walk in to a chorus of honking and squawking. Instead, the center sounded like a library. Only the hushed voices of people could be heard. The penguins were dead silent. 6 I felt overwhelmed. My heart ached for the distressed birds. Cleaning them all seemed like an impossible task. But we had to carry on like doctors in an emergency room. There was no time for doubt. Bird Bath 7 Cleaning oil off a penguin isn’t easy. It takes two people—one to hold the penguin, another to do the washing. The bird is sprayed with a degreaser and scrubbed with warm, soapy water. Delicate areas around the face must be brushed with a toothbrush. Then the bird gets rinsed under a hose. The whole process takes about an hour. Even with more than 12,500 volunteers, it took a month to bathe all 20,000 birds at the center.
The Spreading Spill 8 While workers bathed penguins at the rescue center, another crisis was developing. Oil from the spill had started moving north toward Dassen Island. Tens of thousands of penguins were in the oil’s path. But we already had our hands full with 20,000 recovering birds. Supplies were running low. If any more birds were oiled, we wouldn’t have enough resources to save them. 9 One researcher came up with an idea: What if the Dassen penguins were temporarily moved out of harm’s way? The method had never been tried before. Experts decided to give it a chance. Workers rounded up a large number of the penguins on Dassen Island and released them near Port Elizabeth, 500 miles away. The hope was that by the time the seabirds swam home, the oil would be gone. The plan worked! Another 20,000 penguins were saved. Amazing Rescue 10 The entire penguin rescue operation took about three months. In the end, more than 90 percent of the oiled penguins were successfully returned to the wild. In a previous large-scale penguin rescue, only half of the oiled birds survived. We could hardly believe that our efforts worked! 11 But for me, the most inspiring part was the work of the volunteers. Rescuing penguins isn’t glamorous. The stench of the rescue center—a mix of penguin droppings and dead fish—made people feel sick. The scratches and bites of terrified birds covered volunteers’ arms. As the Penguin Lady, I’m used to facing such hazards to care for the animals I love. What I didn’t realize was how many other people care for penguins too. “The Amazing Penguin Rescue” by Dyan de Napoli as told to Natalie Smith from SuperScience Magazine's January 2012 issue. Copyright @ 2012 by Scholastic Inc. Used by permission of Scholastic, Inc Today you will read a passage from the story "The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan." As you read, pay close attention to the characters’ thoughts. This will help you answer questions and prepare to write a narrative story. Read the passage from the story “The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan.” Then answer the questions. The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan by William J. Brooke 1
13 “Just a little more water an’ a few less rabbits an’ it’ll be fine,” Paul says between gasps. 14 Out o’ the dark comes Johnny’s voice. “Don’t matter, if the frost gets it.” 15 Paul feels the cold ground an’ he feels the moisture freezin’ on his hands. So he gets down on his knees an’ he folds his hands around that little spot o’ dirt an’, gentle as he can, breathes his warm breath onto that tiny little seed. Time passes and the rabbits gather round to enjoy the warmth an’ scratch their soft little backs up against those big calloused hands. As the night wears on, Paul falls into a sleep, but his hands never stop cuppin’ that little bit o’ life. 16 Sometime long after moonset, the voice o’ Johnny Appleseed comes driftin’ soft out o’ the dark an’ says, “Nothin’s enough if you don’t care enough.” 17 Paul wakes up with the sun. He sets up an’ stretches an’ for a minute he can’t remember where he is. Then he looks down an’ he gives a whoop. ‘Cause he sees a little tiny bit o’ green pokin’ up through the grains o’ dirt. “Hey, Johnny,” he yells, “look at this!” But Johnny Appleseed is gone, slipped away in the night. Paul is upset for a minute, then he realizes he don’t need to brag to anybody, that that little slip o’ green is all the happiness he needs right now. Excerpt from "The Growin' of Paul Bunyan" from A Telling of the Tales by William J. Brooke, text copyright © 1990 by William J. Brooke. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.