A look at a penguin rescue off the coast of South Africa that really changed my knowledge. I'd sort of thought penquins were cleaned off and that was it. Far from it. Nearly 40K "oiled penguins" were kept for weeks in two huge warehouses. These were frightened, suspicious, cranky birds with Very Sharp Beaks and every day they had to be force fed (thawed fish poked down their throats) and "swum" in plastic pools that could hold a limited number after which each pool had to be cleaned and refilled for the next group.In the meanwhile, their habitat was being cleansed. TWELVE THOUSAND volunteers, mostly from S Africa, but some from around the world at their own expense, served over the months the birds were being gradually cleaned which is a lengthy process after which they are tested for waterproofness which is dependent on the condition of their feathers. Some flunk and must be recleaned later.Finally the clean birds are marked with hot pink temporary dye on their chests and released in small groups of a couple hundred at a time. With the thousands still being cared for, it was a slow process.The author laments the huge number of wrecks -- some dating back to WWII -- that are rusting on the ocean floor and gradually releasing oil. Sometimes this is is substantial quantities. She has organized herself as The Penguin Lady and her mission is educating the public about the dangerous decline in penguin populations. I listened to the book, so checked out Google images to see the pink-spotted penguins, the holding pools, etc. which added to understanding and enjoyment of the book.