Saturday, January 21, 2012

Turtle Back Zoo's Penguins Featured on CBS

Penguins paint during Penguin Awareness Day for CBS New York

Two of Turtle Back Zoo's own penguins were waddling through the CBS New York studio today in a special segment celebrating Penguin Awareness Day.

The two penguins, though, are apparently painters, too.

Under the direction of Dr. Jeremy Goodman, director at Turtle Back Zoo, the African black-footed penguins dipped their feet in paint and trudged across white paper, leaving behind colorful footprint art.

Goodman told CBS's John Elliot that the painting is part of the enrichment program at the zoo. "They like the feel of the paint and some of the colors of the paint," he said. The penguin's paintings are then auctioned off to raise money for the conservation fund.

Penguins were recently classified as endangered species.

Goodman also demystified some misconceptions about the animals and said that penguins are not actually all from the cold weather. African penguins, also known as jackass penguins because they bray like donkeys, are from the coast of Africa. Many penguins also come form warm weather climates, Goodman told Elliot.
To watch the CBS segment, click here.

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