Something for the weekend: Edinburgh Zoo succeeded in hoodwinking many penguin lovers this week by stating that it has opened up applications for a penguin erector.
A video posted to Edinburgh Zoo’s X and Facebook accounts explained that now the weather has improved, more people are going on holiday and flying over the zoo. It added that the zoo’s penguins are looking up at the aeroplanes passing overhead and falling backwards. Sounds bizarre, right?
It joked that workers have been asked whether a penguin erector, meaning someone who picks penguins back up once they have fallen over while looking up, is in fact a real job title in zoos. The employee who featured in the video quipped that the zoo is now accepting applications for the role.
The video shows the ‘correct etiquette’ for exactly how to pick up a penguin, demonstrating on a person wearing a penguin suit. The employee stated that a penguin erector needs to get underneath the wings in order to lift them back up, however the penguin suit wearer amusingly sat with their arms crossed and refused to be lifted.
Viewers who may have been interested in doing this job were jokingly asked to respond with their credentials, preferably a video of themselves showcasing their own skills.
Laura Moore, communications manager at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo, said, “There has been a rumour going around for years about a ‘boy in the pub’ who was telling people he was a penguin erector at Edinburgh Zoo, and whenever a plane flies over the penguins supposedly look up at it, fall over and can’t get back up.
“Our wildlife conservation charity has tried to dispel the penguin erector story for years with no success. This year, we decided to lean into it for April Fool’s Day and showcase, using our penguin mascot Rocky, that penguins don’t actually need help getting up. We apologise to anyone we have left disappointed with the lack of an available penguin erector position.”
If the role was real, we wonder what sort of employee benefits would come with it…
