Want to pet a penguin? $25 at the Shedd
September 1, 2010
It can’t be easy being a penguin — whether on land or at sea, someone always wants to eat you.Killer whales, sharks, coyotes, eagles — just to name a few penguin predators.
Trainer Lana Vanagasem and training manager Maris Muzzy (right) hold Magellanic Penquins at the Shedd Aquarium.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
Want your own penguin encounter at the Shedd?
For $25, you can spend 30 minutes with a penguin and a trainer. You’ll be able to pet the penguin, but not feed it. You also receive a photograph of you and the penguin. Each session is limited to 10 people. Children must be at least 4 years old, and kids 4 to 11 must be accompanied by a paying guardian. To book a visit, call (312) 692-3355.
Visitors who spend $25 for an up-close-and-personal encounter with the Shedd’s Magellanic penguins are told not to make any sudden moves — it freaks them out.
And you’re not allowed to poke fish down the penguin’s throats, as that’s the trainer’s job. All the same, Shedd staff say the 30-minute “Penguin Encounter,” which started in June, is proving to be very popular.
“We’ve already had . . . several people who’ve done the program more than once,” said Ken Ramirez, the aquarium’s executive vice president of animal collections and training, as he introduced two of the Shedd’s penguins Wednesday.
Participants get to pet the soft silvery-gray-and-white penguin feathers. They also learn that the world’s 17 penguin species are found only in the southern hemisphere. And if you think the flightless birds are defenseless, think again.
“The beak is extremely strong,” Ramirez said. “It’s the kind of bite that would make a grown man cry.”
Penguins are also kind of messy. During Wednesday’s encounter, one of them pooped on a trainer’s leg.
“Penguins are probably one of the dirtiest animals you’ll find,” Ramirez said, noting keepers have to clean the penguin exhibit twice daily.
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