Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 05:03
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 08

Hi mr.P. I thought you said that people had to stay away from the wildlife up on the ice so it doesn't effect the way of life for them. also are you excited to be on the ice after a long wait on the oden?

Mon, 12/15/2008 - 17:27

Jeff Peneston

You are correct.  Part of the magic of Antarctica is that the seals and penguins are not affected by or afraid of people.  In fact, there are important rules that say you cannot affect the wildlife.  However, in the case of the seal research team, they have a special permit to collect data about the health of the seals because:1.    They are real scientists who will publish their findings to benefit the seals.2.    They are experienced with handling seals in ways that will cause no harm to the animals and their procedure is limited to holding the seals for only a few minutes and then releasing them.As for the penguins no one has a permit to conduct any scientific research on them so the only thing we get to do is take pictures.  However, if we are on the ice and the penguins choose to approach us, that is extremely cool.  We all respect the wildlife we see here.As you can tell, I am very excited (and honored) to be in Antarctica.   Making memories in the ice,
Jeff Peneston