Chapter 8
In: Landscapes of Affect and Emotion
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Abstract
This chapter examines two ill-fated attempts to introduce penguins to Norway, in 1936 and 1938, and asks why this was considered a good idea at the time. I argue that transplanting penguins could be considered a means of enriching the avian fauna of a specific region that already possessed rich bird life, thus boosting tourism at a time of economic difficulty. Attempts to render the birds a desirable, even natural part of a Norwegian environment drew on both a wider current of nationalistic polar geopolitics and a more specific sense that penguins could improve an already notable avian fauna. I conclude with reflections on why the projects failed, and why the story of the penguins tends to be told in a way that obscures one of the most important actors – the geologist, conservationist, and polar nationalist Adolf Hoel.