Penguins come from North Dakota

by Tad Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers
It’s almost twice and nice to “do the waddle” at the Minnesota Zoo as its African penguin population has nearly doubled because of flooding at another zoo.
Eleven penguins have joined the current 18 waddlers after the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, N.D., flooded this summer.

The penguins were shipped by truck from North Dakota to the Como Zoo in St. Paul where two remained and the others were transferred to Apple Valley.
The Minnesota Zoo’s 3M Penguins of the African Coast exhibit opened in July to much fanfare and a “Do the Waddle” promotional effort.
The 2,000-square-foot exhibit allows visitors to view the penguins above and below 7 feet of water in a replica of their habitat on South Africa’s Boulders Beach.
The penguins live in an area that was renovated as part of Heart of the Zoo-Phase One, a $20 million, multiphase project which also included a new entrance, Target Learning Center, and the Cargill Environmental Education Center.
African penguins (also known as black-footed or “jackass” penguins) live on the South African coast, thousands of miles north of where most people assume penguins live. The waters are very cool year-round, but the air temps vary widely and can be very hot at times.
The zoo plans to breed the penguins, which are endangered, as part of a Species Survival Plan.

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