Published: Wednesday, October 17, 2012
The penguins have moved on, but their summer visit to the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores will have a lasting impact.
Thanks to the generosity of visitors who stopped by the Penguin Plunge exhibit, the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is donating $5,000 to support conservation of African penguins.
The temporary exhibit featured four captive-bred African penguins from May through September. During that time, the aquarium provided a donation box for voluntary contributions.
The donated funds will be split between two non-profit conservation groups: the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds and the African Penguin Species Survival Plan under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to an aquarium news release.
“More than a quarter of a million visitors to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores this summer had a chance to meet the penguins and learn their conservation story,” Aquarium Director Allen Monroe said via the release. “Many of the factors of human influence that affect penguins also impact wildlife on our shores.”
African penguins are an endangered species. According to the news release, they numbered in the millions as recently as the early 1900s, but there are currently only about 50,000 African penguins left in the world. Habitat destruction, collection of eggs for human consumption, commercial overharvesting of their food and oil spills are said to be some of the reasons behind this rapid decline.
Thanks to the generosity of visitors who stopped by the Penguin Plunge exhibit, the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is donating $5,000 to support conservation of African penguins.
The temporary exhibit featured four captive-bred African penguins from May through September. During that time, the aquarium provided a donation box for voluntary contributions.
The donated funds will be split between two non-profit conservation groups: the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds and the African Penguin Species Survival Plan under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to an aquarium news release.
“More than a quarter of a million visitors to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores this summer had a chance to meet the penguins and learn their conservation story,” Aquarium Director Allen Monroe said via the release. “Many of the factors of human influence that affect penguins also impact wildlife on our shores.”
African penguins are an endangered species. According to the news release, they numbered in the millions as recently as the early 1900s, but there are currently only about 50,000 African penguins left in the world. Habitat destruction, collection of eggs for human consumption, commercial overharvesting of their food and oil spills are said to be some of the reasons behind this rapid decline.
No comments:
Post a Comment