People in Nature
A chick between my legs.
This gentoo penguin got himself in between the legs of my tripod while I was busy photographing their colony. Up until this point, I was not aware of his presence and a friend of mine was laughing and called my attention and took this picture. I stared at the penguin and tried not to follow the rules of "do not touch or approach the wildlife" but was only a few inches from me and started gently biting my fingers and sleves. I gently touched his feathers and he did not reacted, other than he seamed to be looking for something he could eat. He remained there for several more minutes while I continued taking pictures, and eventually moved away. Wildlife in Antarctica is not afraid of humans, since they are not seen as predators, and most have never since a human. Most are mostly curious, specially penguins, and close interaction and approach of this kind, specially by the young, is not unusual. At times, adults can display agressive behaviour while defending their territory or their young, specially when they are approached to close by tourists.
