Despite a viral tweet, there is no such thing as a “penguin erector”

ByCraig Haley

A viral tweet about a “penguin erector” at Edinburgh Zoo has finally been debunked much to the disappointment of thousands of Twitter users.

The tweet discussed the job of a “penguin erector” – and by that we mean someone whose sole job it is to go around picking up the penguins after they fall over when watching passing planes.

Boy in the pub was telling me his job is a penguin erector so every time a plane flys over Edinburgh zoo the penguins can’t take their eyes off it and end up falling over n he just goes round picking them back up, 38 penguins 2000 flights a day

The tweet went instantly viral, at the time of writing tweeted over 170,000 times with many commenting that picking up penguins for 12 hours a day essentially epitomizes their dream job.

But many were sceptical, and after a number of queries, Edinbourgh Zoo themselves burst the bubble, confirming that there was no such position at their establishment.

and…

The claim that penguins regularly fall over when planes pass overhead because they are so transfixed by the aircraft is decades old piece of folklore based on the accounts of Royal Air Force pilots but it has largely been debunked by experts.