GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- John Ball Zoo is finalizing the first phase of a 12.8 million renovation project. Despite all the focus on the new attractions, the animals remain the #1 reason people come to the zoo.
John Ball Zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals and a lot of work goes into taking care of those animals so they are here for people to enjoy.
The zoo has never allowed anyone to shoot behind the scenes video of zoo keepers taking care of the animals.... until now.
The zoo allowed a WZZM 13 crew to shoot video of the penguin exhibit which is one of the most popular at the zoo. At the same time, zookeeper, Paul Suplinskas wore a helmet camera while he went about his job of caring for the animals.
"It is definitely a lot of fun. We do get to see them from a different angle than a lot of people do. It is fun to be able to be that close to them and for us to properly care for them we have to be that close at the same time it is not like they are not really tame. When I was feeding them they were nipping at my fingers and things and I don't think they'd appreciate it if I picked them up," he said. "It is so much better to come see them up close and here you actually get to hear them. And you can also get to smell them. That is something to think about with animals you know. They all have their own little smells and sounds."
The exhibit is in the aquarium, which happens to be the only aquarium in the state right now. There are about 30 penguins in the exhibit. Right now is mating season for the penguins, so Suplinskas is also routinely checking for eggs.
"A lot of them are finishing or in the process of nesting, and so the male and female stay together in a pair near their little nest hollow that they have out there."
He shows us how each penguin's personality is as unique and different from the next. And many people wouldn't guess it, but they are actually picky eaters too.
"As we feed the penguins they all have different ways they prefer to eat. Some of them will come right up here and get food from me. There are others that will probably stay in the water," he said. "Each of the penguins also might have a particular type of fish they prefer. If I hand them something they don't want they won't eat it."
"We have some penguins who don't see very well. They are getting older or may have eye injuries. And those we have to make sure they get their share of food and don't get bullied out of the way by the others."
It is Paul Suplinskas' job to make sure the penguins stay healthy for us to enjoy. His reward is being able to get up close and personal with our little flipper friends. Lucky for us, we got to share that experience just once.
"It is definitely a lot of fun. We do get to see them from a different angle than a lot of people do," said Suplinskas
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