“Company To No Longer Use Live Penguins To Promote Its Linux
Products.“
Magic Software…announced that it has made a $10,000 donation
to the Wildlife Conservation Society for the preservation of
penguins. In addition, the Company stated it will no longer use
live penguins to promote its Linux products. Magic created quite a
“flap” recently when it used two live penguins at the LinuxWorld
Expo in San Jose to introduce its new business-to-business
e-commerce solution, Magic eMerchant for Linux, for this rapidly
growing operating system whose symbol is a penguin.”
“The controversy started last August when Magic brought two live
trained penguins, named Jeffrey and Lucinda, to the San Jose
Convention Center to open the trade show floor, as well as
introduce each of the Company’s hourly demonstrations of its new
eMerchant product. For five minutes at the start of every hour, the
birds’ trainers would allow people around the booth to take
pictures of one of the birds (the birds alternated times in the
booth), as well as pet the bird. This “ruffled the feathers” of
some trade show attendees who later called PETA (People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals) to voice their concerns. PETA went
public and soon Knight Ridder was carrying the story over its
newswire. The story was picked up by most of the major daily
newspapers, as well as several NBC affiliates and other broadcast
outlets.”
“According to David Leichner, vice president of Worldwide
Marketing for Magic, contrary to animal activists’ contentions, the
birds were treated extremely well.”