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An Old Minefield Serves as a Penguin Sanctuary
Ahmad Garabli / AFP / Goodshoot / Goodshoot / Getty Images
The Falkland Islands are chock-full of landmines, thanks to the Falklands War, and because mines are a pain in the ass to remove (go try it!). So the minefields are still there, to this day:
Peter Macdiarmid / Getty
Making anything anyone does nearby seem 30 percent more badass.
You may recognize this as a horrific situation, since any random child or tourist can stumble across the mines and wind up as a tragic headline. But in the Falklands, they're not in too big of a hurry to clear the minefields because something unexpected and adorable happened: The fields have become the world's most effective penguin refuge.
Robert Keeley, The Journal of ERW and Mine Reduction
"Go ahead and take one. We dare you."
If you're expecting a hilarious YouTube embed of a penguin stepping on a landmine and getting blown sky high, you'll be disappointed -- the penguins aren't heavy enough to set off the mines, to what we're assuming is the profound disappointment of many a tourist. But the mines are deadly to all of the things that threaten penguins. For instance, the whole reason the Falkland Islands penguins were an endangered species in the first place was due to overgrazing by sheep. With the minefields in place, however, sheep couldn't graze those areas without horrifying consequences. The result: penguin party.
Will Gray / AWL / Getty
"One of you guys brought blow, right?"
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