The penguin looks out to the mountains, seeing his journey ahead of him. photo by Mark Pollard
As a 2007 clip from a nature documentary goes viral on social media, one question remains: but why?
Over the past few weeks, numerous social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have been flooded with a clip of what has been coined a nihilist penguin. Featured in a 2007 documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, the lone penguin is seen walking away from its colony in Antarctica. The clip shows the penguin stopping in its tracks, as though it was deliberating whether to continue following the others, or carve its own path. Soon, the penguin starts swiftly heading towards the icy mountains.
“One of the penguins caught our eye…the one in the centre. He would neither go towards feeding grounds … nor return to its colony,” stated Werner Herzog, the narrator in the viral clip. As the penguin charged towards the mountains, some 70 kilometers away from his location, Herzog continued, “Doctor Ainlie explained that even if he caught him, and brought him back to the colony, he would immediately head right back for the mountains.” He then asked the viral question, “But why?”
As the video continues garnering views, receiving over 749,000 views in just one day, people have started placing their own meanings on the penguin. Some view it as a metaphor for humanity, just headed towards oblivion. Others view this as an act of rebellion, comparing the penguin’s journey to humans of similar stories. For example, many are bringing up Richard Russell, also known as “Sky King.” Russell was a 28-year-old Horizon Air ground agent who stole a Bombardier Q400 turboprop from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on August 10, 2018. He was described as a polite, “broken” individual with no formal flight training, who learned to fly via video games. Once he took off, he performed a barrel roll, and flew for about 75 minutes. As he communicated with air traffic control he stated that he was, “Just a broken guy, with a few screws loose. Never really knew it ‘til now.” He also made numerous comments about wages, showing he was clearly struggling and frustrated over the state of the world. As his joyride came to an end, Russell intentionally crashed it on Ketron Island, committing suicide. His first and final flight was also his first and last time truly being alive, a mirror to the penguin. Like Russell, the penguin is heading off to certain death, and like with Russell’s story, no one really knows why.
The nihilistic penguin has not only become a symbol for the rebellious people of the world rejecting society, it has also become a symbol for mental health awareness for humans and animals alike. The clip has sparked discussions on animal mental health, what the penguin symbolizes, and if there are positive lessons in the incident. On a Reddit page discussing the topic, a user stated, “I truly believe some animals choose to die and know how to do it. For all we know, it had cancer and was in immense pain.” The comment received over 60 upvotes, and opened up the discussion to voluntary euthanasia, as humans are, at the end of the day, biologically no different than other animals. The debate around whether someone should be able to end their life of their own will is a heavy topic, one that is very stigmatized. There will always be a person arguing that things will get better and that pain is temporary. However, the penguin has shown that there can be beauty in it. It’s a way for one to reclaim their own life or find freedom. Whether it be a mission to find personal freedom through an adventure full of uncertainty and risk, or a deeper calling from the mountains, the penguin’s goal, the reason why he left, is up to the eye of the beholder.
No one truly knows why the penguin departed on his journey, and there is no way to find out. The only thing we know for sure is that he has broken away from his colony to pursue an individual, albeit uncertain, path towards something.
