Adventure Aquarium dedicates weekend to the African Penguin

Friday, November 04, 2011

By Kristie Rearick/Gloucester County Times

Enlarge Calista Condo/Gloucester County Times Three-year-old Black-footed African Penguin, Little Ditty plays outside during the "Positively Peguins" Adventure, where penguin-lovers can have an up-close encounter at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. Staff photo by Calista Condo/Gloucester County Times Adventure Aquarium's gallery (33 photos)

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Musician John Cougar Mellencamp might want to get a little closer to a few penguins at Adventure Aquarium in Camden. After all, he did have something to do with one little guy’s name.

Inside the small, outdoor space behind Penguin Island — where visitors can see these cute, tux-wearing birds frolic about on a daily basis — Little Ditty waddles out beside biologist Jenn Hutchins.
“He’s a very special young man,” she said with pride.
“Tell them about Ditty’s name,” said Michele Pagel, curator of birds and mammals at the aquarium.
Hmmm? Little Ditty? How did he get that cute name?
Well, the story goes like this: Little Ditty’s dad, Jack, was ready for a mate, Hutchins said. So a female penguin was brought to the aquarium for Jack — and she didn’t have a name yet.
“We named her Diane,” Hutchins said. “So we had Jack and Diane. And when they had a baby, we named him Little Ditty.”
Little ditty about Jack and Diane, two American kids ... er African Penguins? doing the best they can?
“He (Mellencamp) might want to meet a product of a lyric from his song,” Hutchins said.

View full sizeAdventure Aquarium guests who partake in the "Positively Penguins" experience will learn all about penguins from biologists and get to see their eggs (below) and feathers.

 

Visitors to Adventure Aquarium might want to meet Little Ditty, too. And “Positively Penguins,” an up-close encounter with these adorable African Penguins is the perfect way to do just that, Hutchins said. On a behind-the-scenes adventure with these feathered friends, guests get to see biologists like Hutchins at work.
“It’s about creating a unique experience for guests,” said Kimberly J. Walker, public relations and communications manager at the aquarium. “It’s an open dialogue with a biologist, a personal tour.”
Hutchins picks up Ditty. He’s comfortable in her arms. The pair are face to face, something only a trained professional should ever attempt. People think they’re “cute and cuddly,” she said. But that’s not really true at all. There are two dangerous parts of a penguin to be aware of.
First, penguins’ beaks are very strong, she said. And there’s a hook on the end of it.
“He’s the only penguin I will let get that close to my face,” she said. “I have plenty of scars from penguin beaks.”
And the other part?
“Their rear ends of course. They go to the bathroom every 10 to 15 minutes,” Hutchins said. “See, there he goes.”

View full sizeView penguins eggs while participating in the "Positively Penguins" experience this weekend at Adventure Aquarium in Camden.

 

Eighteen African Penguins live at the aquarium, and on an up-close encounter, guests (5 and older) get to play with the penguins, toss fish to them and paint with them. They can even touch a penguin — with a trained professional on hand, of course.
Ever wonder what a penguin’s foot feels like?
“They feel like the pads on the bottom of puppies’ feet,” Hutchins said.
And its wings? They are strong and solid, she said.
These fascinating birds were recently reclassified from vulnerable to endangered. There are now fewer than 26,000 breeding pairs of African Penguins remaining in the wild. So to help these little guys survive — they hail mostly from South Africa — the aquarium is hosting African Penguin Awareness Weekend, Saturday and Sunday.
Several penguin activities are planned for the weekend. Visitors can meet an African Penguin during penguin appearances throughout the weekend. They can take pictures with a penguin during three daily photo sessions, view and perhaps buy artwork actually done by a penguin (the little guys’ feet are dipped into a water-based paint, then they walk over a small canvas and leave colorful imprints of their feet behind.) Guests can also purchase a penguin footprint for a dollar, and that dollar could help rescue an African Penguin.
African Penguins are endangered a big part due to oil spills along the coast of South Africa, Hutchins said. Adventure Aquarium is teaming up with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to help save these threatened birds. A portion of penguin paintings and penguin adoptions — another program available to guests at the aquarium this weekend — will go directly to SANCCOB.

View full sizeBiologist Jenn Hutchins sits with Little Ditty after he created a painting with his feet at Adventure Aquarium in Camden. Visitors who purchase a penguin painting will help in the effort to save endangered wild African Penguins.

 

Back outside with Little Ditty, Hutchins goes over some general rules guests on a Positively Penguins adventure should remember.
“Always listen to the trainer, respect the animal and if you’re taking a picture of me with a penguin and I get bit or slapped, please delete it,” she said.
These animals are only 18 inches tall and weigh about 20 pounds, but they are pretty tough birds, she said. They can definitely hold their own against humans.
“It’s really just humiliating,” Hutchins said with a laugh.

If you go: African Penguin Awareness Weekend will take place at Adventure Aquarium Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6. Admission is $22.95 for adults and $17.95 for children 2 to 12. For tickets visit, www.adventureaquarium.com.

Positively Penguins is available for guests on Saturdays and Sundays from 3 to 4 p.m. Up to six guests can participate. The adventure is open to adults and children ages 5 and up. $135 per person. To book a penguin adventure visit, www.adventureaquarium.com.

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