The Penguins are Coming March 5

Monday February 21, 2011

If you haven't heard, the Little Rock Zoo is opening a fun new exhibit the first weekend in March: Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe. Some of you probably met one of the penguins, Laura, in the zoo's last few stage shows last summer. The real exhibit opens March 5.

The zoo was testing the water and making sure the penguins were comfortable last weekend and, because I volunteer there as a docent, I got to take a sneak peek.

The finished exhibit is probably the nicest looking exhibit at the zoo. It's state of the art, with great graphics and a fun design. My favorite graphic was actual size cutouts of other penguin species so you can compare their sizes. A common thing people say when they see this species of penguin is, "I thought penguins were bigger." It's fun to compare their size to the massive emperor penguins and the tiny fairy penguins. Plus, your kids can see how they stack up to a penguin.

Little Rock Zoo's penguins are African penguins, a warm weather variety. They are about the middle of the penguin size gamut, measuring about 27 inches tall. The new exhibit allows visitors to see the penguins playing under water, but also has some above water viewing so you can see them on land. It's meant to mimic Boulders Beach near Cape Town in Africa, where the penguins are found in the wild.

There are only about 120,000 African penguins left in the wild and the species is listed as "endangered" on the IUCN Red List.
If you have time on March 5, or anytime after that, go meet Little Rock's newest attraction. They are very personable and lots of fun to watch. The zoo has some special events going on March 5, and March 4 is the member's only preview. That's a perfect excuse to become a member.

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