Injured Chilean Penguins Get Special Copper Vests to Help Wounds Heal

Injured Humboldt penguins in Chile are being fitted with bright red protective vests woven with copper and zinc, a treatment designed to keep them from reopening their wounds while the metals help fight infection.

Researchers at Buin Zoo, outside Santiago, developed the clothing using minerals abundant in Chile. Zoo director Ignacio Idalsoaga said microfibre vests containing copper and zinc had been tested on pets for years and had clearly helped skin wounds recover, prompting the team to try the approach on penguins.

The first penguins are now testing the close-fitting vests. Tomas Pino, a veterinarian and head of the nonprofit Conservacion Humboldt, said the birds had accepted them well. “We noticed that after the injured penguin put on the protective vest, the wound was already improving the next day,” he said.

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We noticed that after the injured penguin put on the protective vest, the wound was already improving the next day.

Penguin wounds are particularly difficult to treat because the birds can twist their long necks to peck at injuries and even pull out stitches. The vests are intended to prevent that behavior. Copper and zinc in the fabric can inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi, while zinc may promote the formation of new blood vessels and help damaged tissue recover.

Chile is the world’s largest copper producer and has the largest Humboldt penguin population, but the species has declined sharply in the country. Fishing nets, plastic pollution, disease and the removal of the fish that penguins eat all threaten their survival. El Niño has also warmed parts of the Pacific, making it harder for the birds to find their preferred cold-water fish. Surveys by Chilean and international researchers in 2024 and 2025 found 63% fewer active nests at major breeding sites than at the same locations three years earlier.

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Microfibre vests containing copper and zinc had been tested on pets for years and clearly helped skin wounds recover.