May 2, 2009 at 1:56 PM PDT
By Travis Mayfield KOMO News
SEATTLE -- Think of it as a belated birthday gift.
Friday, 12-year-old Harrison Grad was able to cut the ribbon and help open the Woodland Park Zoo's new penguin exhibit.
Instead of gifts, Harrison said, "during my birthday parties I had my friends give checks to the zoo for the new penguin exhibit."
The kids raised more than $500.
The total cost for the new Humbolt penguin home was $6.5 million, so many more public and private donors stepped forward, adding to Harrison's contribution.
Designers modeled the 17,000-square-foot exhibit after the natural coast of Punta San Juan in Peru where the birds are a native species. The exhibit features more than half a dozen viewing windows, including two 'bubbles' where visitors can see the birds swimming above, below, and around them.
"This one is 10 times better than the old one," Harrison said. The old exhibit was one of the oldest features of the current zoo before it was torn down two years ago.
Grad said penguins are one of his favorite animals.
"They sort of remind me of people and they sort of look like they have tuxedos on and they act like people almost," he said.
The new exhibit opened to members on Friday and to the general public on Saturday.
For more information on the new penguin exhibit visit the Woodland Park Zoo's website.
Source:
http://www.katu.com/outdoors/news/44184782.html
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