While thinking about the penguins, the only thing which comes to our mind is the beauty of this beautiful bird. It is one of the most beautiful creations on the earth by God that have fascinated lots of travelers and researchers around the world.
Till now, we have talked about that where penguins live and what do they eat, how they look like, etc. But have you ever thought that are penguins edible too?
We know most of you might be very confused after hearing this question. Some of you can’t even think of eating the penguins, and some of you might have started thinking about the recipes of the penguins. But the main question is that are penguins edible or not?
In the below article, you will get all your answers to the doubts in your mind. We will also share with you some significant information to support our response correctly.
Is It True that Penguins Are Edible?
Yes, it is true that penguins are edible and humans can eat them. In numerous expeditions by the travelers to Antarctica, they had added fresh penguin’s meat in their diets with for the period of their long journeys, mainly when the food which they carried with them was often deficient in nutrients or occasionally get rotten.
The members of certain voyages moreover eat the eggs of the penguin for similar reasons. There are a couple of places on the planet where people still collect the eggs of the penguins but not on a large scale like earlier. Presently, consuming the penguins is decreased owing to the reasons of conservation and environment protection.
Do All the Species of Penguins Edible?
We can’t say that all the species of penguins are edible or not. But the penguins that live in the Antarctic had a benefit over that penguin existing in the highest latitudes as they are quite far from the populations of human and poachers that are accountable for slaying thousands of penguins in the whole world each year formerly. Unluckily, in certain circumstances, the reason of remoteness can’t even stop the slaying of particular penguins.
Why Do Humans Start Hunting for Penguins for Eating?
The hunting of penguins is not new. It exists from the past time. Some researchers have concluded that the native people of Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa, and South America have often killed the penguins that are living nearby to them. But the killing was not made for entertainment, but for subsistence. Penguins can’t keep themselves safe from all the predators as they cannot fly and catching them becomes comparatively easy.
Besides the survival reason, some people hunt the penguin for getting the oil, meat, eggs, bones, skin, and feathers. The skin of the Penguins might not be as beneficial as the skin of Arctic creatures, but still, it is thick which was for making various garments.
In the fifteenth century, the European people begin the hunting of penguins in vast quantities. The hunt increased in the subsequent centuries. The hunters mainly used the penguin’s fat for making expensive oil.
The meat of the penguin mostly eaten by the sailors during the voyages. They dried its meat and consumed them a few weeks or months later. It acts as a life-saving food source for them.
But due to all the above reasons, the populations of the penguin starts declining rapidly owing to hunting. In the year 1867, a firm killed around 410,000 king penguins to get their fat. In the early 100 years, the population of king penguin of Macquarie Island decreased immensely because of the hunting, and individual colonies vanished entirely.
In the Islands of Falkland, about 2.5 million penguins deceased in merely 16 years. In reality, the king penguins of the Malvinas and Heard Islands extinct, and it takes around 80 years before new colonies were re-built.
Overall, explorers in the ancient time might slay up to 3,100 penguins for getting eggs, oil, meat as well as feathers for their food consumption in the long trip.
What Is the Current Perspective About the Penguins Being Edible?
At present, the commercial hunting of the penguins has declined as the flourishing energy sources as well as the laws ban it. On the other hand, certain people still do the hunting of these birds stealthily and unlawfully that is creating a dangerous scenario for these species in the future.
In the year 1918, the penguin oil trade got stopped because of the public objections and new inexpensive substitutes; however, it carries on unlawfully for the people as an earning source, even though there are always persons who still attempt to make the trade commercially. E.g., in the initial 1980s, a company from Japan requested approval from the board of the Antarctic for hunting the penguins and get oil, meat, and fur on the southern coastlines of Argentina; however, the association overruled the request.
Occasionally, the Fishermen that belong to the Indian Ocean catch them but not for ingesting, however, to utilize them as bait.
Conclusion
The answer to the question “are penguins edible” is a big YES. The meat of the penguin not only provides the delicious flavor to the travelers but it also has the excellent amount of Vitamin C in it. Lots of people who have relished the taste of penguin’s meat called it fibrous tinned meat. The eggs of the penguins are also a good source of nutrition.
But if you want to taste the flavor of any penguin’s recipe, you will be disappointed to know that eating this beautiful creature is not possible now as the Antarctic Treaty System has strictly prohibited the hunting of these declining birds population. Now, the modern travelers or researchers who go to this icy continent look for the option of fresh vegetables and greenhouses.
We hope that if you have to make up your mind to taste the flavor of this incredible aquatic animal then, you have to change your thoughts as this is not possible now. If you still want to know something more about the penguins being edible then, please let us know. We will answer you quickly. You can also share your views on the above info as well.
References
http://passporttoknowledge.com/antarctica2/ask/new/Penguins_as_food_for_humans.txt
https://ask.metafilter.com/53331/What-do-penguins-taste-like
http://www.grubstreet.com/2008/05/what_does_penguin_meat_taste_l.html
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