Penguins and People

In Penguins and People, Dutch journalist Marcel Haenen charts the remarkable and often tragic history of our connection to these extraordinary birds.

New Zealand, just before sunrise: a golden-eyed penguin peeks out from the forest. In Japan’s Asahiyama Zoo, crowds gather daily to watch the penguin parade. Every summer, hundreds of cruise ships head to Antarctica, packed with tourists hoping to glimpse penguins in the wild. These birds have captured the human imagination – from literature and animation to the world’s zoos and nature documentaries – but at what cost?

Ever since European navigators first encountered penguins in the late 16th century, our relationship with them has been one of fascination and exploitation. Penguins have been eaten by explorers, boiled down for oil by New Zealand businessmen, and shipped to zoos where many died of sunstroke. Today, the threat is even more urgent: as the climate crisis escalates, penguins could be largely extinct by the end of this century.

In Penguins and People, Dutch journalist Marcel Haenen – known as the ‘penguin reporter’ at NRC newspaper – charts the remarkable and often tragic history of our connection to these extraordinary birds. A deeply researched and beautifully written account, this is both a cultural history, and a heartfelt call to protect a species – before it’s too late.