March of the Penguins

Joe Tennis/Bristol Herald Courier

Mike Kastura, a senior aquariast at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, shows off a tank that is under construction as part of a new penguin habitat.

By Joe Tennis | Features Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: January 24, 2010

Ripley’s Aquarium adding a 4,000-square-foot African penguin habitat
GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Soon, kids, you can act just as perfect as a penguin. Get on your hands and knees, too, and you can crawl through a submerged acrylic tube – with African Black-Footed Penguins surrounding you, on all sides.

This see-through tunnel – plus see-through tanks – are part of the new “Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse,” now under construction at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Expected to be complete around March 15, this 4,000-square-foot expansion coincides with the 10th anniversary of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, said Mike Kastura, the senior aquariast at Ripley’s.

The $5 million addition marks the first aquarium addition since opening in 2000, Kastura said, but it will come at the cost of the aquarium losing its Veranda Restaurant. Today, doors to the Veranda are posted with signs noting construction is in process. Behind those doors: Workers are fashioning tanks, a tunnel, wave machine and multiple spa jets that will be the home to the penguins.

When finished, naturalistic rockwork and plantings will surround more than 30,000 gallons of temperature-controlled saltwater, depicting the island rookeries along the coast of South Africa. “We went to great, great lengths to put in as much natural features as we can,” Kastura said.

These penguins – natives of South Africa – are sometimes called “Jackass Penguins” for the braying sound that they make. In the wild, these birds live about a dozen years but can live much longer in zoos and aquariums. The penguins average about 25 inches tall and weigh about 7 pounds. Their diets consist of small fish, such as herring, anchovies and sardines.

“We hope to have upwards of a couple dozen,” Kastura said.

Why penguins? “Everyone loves penguins,” Kastura said, smiling, noting the success of the movie “Happy Feet.” Aquarium visitors can see the birds as part of the regular admission to Ripley’s.

ON THE WEB
http://www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com

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