Feathered penguins are winners, too

Feathered penguins are winners, too

Saturday, July 11, 2009
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins have brought a lot of joy to Pittsburgh this year, starting with our Stanley Cup-winning hockey players. Another group of penguins, including one named Sidney, are delighting fans at a new exhibit at the National Aviary on the North Side.

On my visit to see the 11 African penguins last week, I was pleasantly surprised to see the hallways packed with people -- on a weekday, no less. Attendance has been up since the Penguin Point exhibit opened on May 23.

Visitors get a 360-degree view of a re-created African penguin habitat. You can view the birds from the top of the exhibit or watch them underwater. You can crawl into pop-up plastic bubbles that put visitors amid the penguins, who often go nose-to-nose with visitors, separated, of course, by a thin layer of acrylic (similar to what you see at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's meerkat exhibit).

The little penguins are cute and charming, though timing is everything. They sleep a lot, and you hate it when they do that on YOUR time.

"They're usually swimming in the morning, but there's no guarantee," said Terri Grendzinski of Ross, senior trainer at the aviary. "Their swimming is all over the board."

There are two times when the feathered pens are guaranteed to be awake and active -- 12:30 and 4 p.m. when they are fed.

Penguins line up as two interns arrive with buckets of raw fish -- the only food that African penguins eat. The penguins politely wait their turn.

Penguins are hand-fed because each gets one fish especially formulated for them, stuffed with vitamins and minerals. After that it's "all you can eat."

"None of them overeat," Ms. Grendzinski said. "They let you know when they've had enough."

They swallow the fish whole, head first, except for one female who swallows hers tail-first.

An aviary employee -- Julia Ecklar on the day I visited -- gives a running commentary while all this is going on.

Here are viewing tips she and Ms. Grendzinski offer to get the most of the experience:

The female penguins wear ID bands on their left wings while the males have tags on their right wings.

Stanley, 8, the aviary's original penguin, "is the only one with a bow tie." It's actually a black spot on his neck. Kristin, one of the recent arrivals, "has a necklace -- a stripe of black feathers around her neck."

Sidney, introduced to the public last year as a gray-featherd baby, recently got his black-and-white adult plumage. You can pick him out of the crowd because he's the only one with a blue-and-white ID tag.

Elvis is the bird that guards the gate where staff enter and leave the feeding area.

Stanley and Preston have learned that if they snuggle by the knees of the feeder, they will get fish without having to compete with the rest of the flock.

Another tip: At 4 p.m. you'll get a better view because the fields trips have generally left, and the aviary closes at 5 p.m.

Penguins are peaceful birds. There is no "leader of the pack" or boss bird, although they often stake out their favorite resting areas.

African penguins are native to South Africa, where their numbers are declining said Steve Sarro, National Aviary director of animal programs. Their current status is "vulnerable," and they may be declared "endangered" this year. There are an estimated 60,000 in the wild and 688 in U.S. zoos and aviaries.

The National Aviary is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $8.50 for children. For more information go to www.aviary.org or call 412-323-7235.

Source:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09192/983119-51.stm