World Penguin Day promotes conservation efforts
Over the past century; the penguin population has dwindled. In the early 1900's there were over a million but now there's less than 50,000 in the wild.
However, zoos and aquariums around the world are working together to increase the depleted population.
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies has a total of 26 penguins at their "Penguin Playhouse" exhibit; including six breeding pairs.
From those pairs, they hope to have at least 20 chicks within the next two years.
But Ripley's also has other ways to help save the penguins through an enrichment project.
Tara Kastura, a Senior Aquarist said "We use different colored water based paint and let the penguins walk through it. They end up tracking their foot prints across canvases. It's an activity that gets they out of the exhibit to interact with different people."
The canvases are then sold in the gift shop and 50% of the profits go to 'The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds', SANCCOB for short. They are an organization that helps to protect all the bird in South African, especially the African Penguins.
Starting in May, you'll actually have the chance to paint a canvas with a penguin. You can learn more at the link at the bottom of the page.
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