Chile’s Injured Humboldt Penguins Get Copper-Threaded Red Vests

A wildlife team in Chile is trying an unusual treatment for injured Humboldt penguins: small red vests threaded with copper and zinc. Researchers developed the garments after veterinarians reported using similar suits on injured dogs and cats. Measurements for the penguin bodysuits were taken at Buin Zoo, a wildlife park outside Santiago. The project is being conducted on Humboldt penguins, a vulnerable species with its largest concentration in Chile. The vests serve two purposes. They cover wounds that penguins might otherwise reach with their long necks and peck open, potentially removing stitches in the process. The copper and zinc fibers are also intended to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. According to the reporting, zinc may additionally encourage the formation of new blood vessels, which can support the repair of damaged tissue. Tomás Pino, a veterinarian who runs the nonprofit Conservación Humboldt, said wildlife clinics along Chile’s coast regularly receive penguins injured by fishing nets or boat propellers. Some arrive weakened by a lack of food. He said the birds wearing the vests appeared to tolerate them well, and that wounds looked better from one day to the next. The experiment comes as the penguins face several pressures. Surveys by Chilean and international researchers in 2024 and 2025 found 63% fewer active nests at major breeding sites than at the same locations three years earlier. Reported threats include fishing-net entanglements, plastic pollution, disease outbreaks and competition with fisheries for food. The source also links current concerns to El Niño, a weather pattern that brings unusually warm water to parts of the Pacific. That can make the cold-water fish Humboldt penguins depend on harder to find. Parents may then travel farther for food and leave nests unattended, raising concern about abandoned chicks and injuries. The copper vests are an experimental treatment, and the report does not establish how effective they will be across the wider penguin population.