Calgary Zoo set to host splashy penguin party

By Jenna McMurray ,Calgary Sun

  Friday, February 17, 2012

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• Meet the penguins at the Calgary Zoo (pdf)

They’ve trekked here from their former homes in three different countries and are finally ready to celebrate their permanent move to Calgary with the public.
The much-anticipated Penguin Plunge officially opens at the Calgary Zoo Friday, years after talks of bringing in the animated black and white birds began.
Originally slated to be part of the planned Arctic Shores exhibit, which was axed after estimated costs to build it ballooned to $200 million, officials continued to investigate whether the zoo could accommodate penguins alone.

The answer was yes.
And so, throughout December and January, 46 penguins slipped and slid their way into Calgary from zoos across North America and as far away as Scotland.
The birds represent four of approximately 18 species of penguins — Calgary is now home to King, Rockhopper, Gentoo and Humboldt penguins.

A few more birds may be accepted over the next few months, said zoo spokeswoman Laurie Skene.
All of the penguins are part of species survival programs, she said.
“Ultimately we’re hoping breeding will occur and we’ll have some little baby penguins,” said Skene.
Humboldt and Rockhopper penguins are considered vulnerable species and Gentoos are called near-threatened, she said.

A big part of bringing the birds to Calgary is promoting conservation efforts, which the zoo, as a whole, is trying to focus on as part of a “rebuilding period,” said Skene.
The penguins inspired the zoo to take on three conservation projects, including supporting the development of a monitoring system that uses time-lapse cameras in Antarctica to understand what helps penguins survive.
Meanwhile, the zoo’s newest residents are ready to play with the public as the doors to their brand new exhibit swing open at 11 a.m. Friday, with opening ceremonies kicking off at 10:30 a.m.
The $24.5-million facility took 18 months to build and includes a gift shop, cafe, and a receiving area for trucks to deliver fish.

The birds have a 49,000-litre outdoor pool and a 144,000-litre indoor pool to splash in.
The temperature will be kept about 7C inside in order to accommodate species that prefer cold and warm weather, said Skene.
There will also be a sunrise and sunset each day to keep the penguins on natural molting and breeding schedules.
Zoo officials expect the birds will be a big draw for visitors.
“They’re obviously charismatic animals,” said Skene.
“They’re busy entertaining, you want to caption everything they’re doing, they’re funny, they’re comical.”

On Twitter: 24Hrsjmcmurray

Penguin Plunge at the Calgary Zoo:
• $24.5-million facility
• 18 months to build
• 144,000-litre indoor pool and 49,000-litre outdoor pool
• Indoor temperature: 7C
• 46 penguins representing four species
• Opens: Friday, Feb. 17

Calgary’s penguins came from zoos in:
Montreal, QC
San Antonio, Texas
Syracuse, N.Y.
Seattle, Wash.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Breakdown of species representation in Calgary:
Gentoo: 23
Humboldt: 10
King: 8
Rockhopper: 5

Who’s Who?
Humboldt penguin
Range: Coastal regions of Peru and Chile
65-69 cm tall
4.2 - 5 kg
Lives 15-20 years
Eats squid and small schooling fish such as sardines and anchovies
Known for the black band of feathers on their chests

Gentoo penguin
Range: Antarctica and islands off South America
51-71 cm tall
5 - 6.2 kg
Live 15-20 years
Eats small plankton, squid and fish
Fastest underwater swimming penguin, can reach speeds of 36 km/h

Rockhopper penguin
Range: Argentina, Chile, Antarctic Islands, New Zealand, Australia, St. Helena, South Africa
45-58 cm
2 - 3.4 kg
Live 10 years
Eats krill and other crustaceans, squid, octopus and fish
Leaps off ledges and cliffs of its rocky nesting habitat

King penguin
Range: Antarctic region
85-95 cm
11-15 kg
Lives 15-20 years
Eats small fish, especially Lanternfish, and squid
One of the largest penguin species, weighing up to 15 kg, second only to the Emperor penguin.

Video also available at source

Image of the Day

Penguin, a photo by cbeachhh on Flickr.

Budding Penguin Love Offers New Hope for a Troubled Species

David DeFranza

February 14, 2012

credit: Jaymi Heimbuch

The outlook for African penguins in the wild may not be positive but—in at least one breeding program—a budding love is offering hope for the species.
After months of effort, Sinclair, a female African penguin at the California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco—is starting to show signs of a connection with a new mate.

credit: Jaymi Heimbuch

As a result of egg and guano harvesting, oil spill pollution, and the impact of commercial fishing on prey sources, the status of the African penguin underwent a dramatic decline in the 20th century. The population of the species in the wild, which breeds in South Africa and Namibia, is estimated at less than 10 percent of the 1.5 million individuals that existed in 1910.

credit: Jaymi Heimbuch

This precarious situation in the wild makes captive breeding programs essential for the perpetuation of the species. One such program is the Species Survival Plan breeding program at the California Academy of Sciences in California.

credit: California Academy of Sciences

Recently, Sinclair—the female penguin in the foreground—joined the established population at the Academy. She was the first addition to the group since the population moved to the Academy's new building.

credit: California Academy of Sciences

To Sinclair join her new group, Academy biologists have been doing what's referred to as "pair bonding." Simply, this is an attempt at matchmaking.
African penguins mate for life after forming a strong pair bond. In this case, Sinclair and her prospective mate—a male African penguin named Agulhas—have been bonded with other birds before, but both appear open to a second chance at "love."

credit: California Academy of Sciences

Pair bonding can happen quickly with African penguins but for Sinclair and Agulhas it has been a drawn-out process. Recently, however, there have been strong signs that the bonding is working.
In early January, for example, Sinclair was taken to the Animal Health Department for a physical. As soon as she was removed from the pen she and Agulhas started calling to each other.

credit: California Academy of Sciences

Upon returning from her physical, Sinclair immediately ran into the nest-box that she shares with Agulhas. He followed and she bowed and shook her head to him—all good signs that a bond is forming between the pair.

credit: California Academy of Sciences

This story of penguin love is cute, but essential for the species survival. Experts have recommended that the California Academy of Sciences and other participating institutions breed pairs of African penguins in 2012.

credit: California Academy of Sciences

To emphasize the importance of the penguin breeding program, the California Academy of Sciences hosts a Valentine-making event each year. Fans of the penguins are invited to come to the aquarium and make a card for their favorite penguin.

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credit: California Academy of Sciences

It's an adorable image but one that carries a serious message: African penguins, like many other species around the world, could reach extinction within a human lifetime. Since human activity is the cause of so many of their problems, it is the least we can do to show them some love in return.

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A holiday massacre for Mr. Ficke's penguins - lol

By ZACH PLUHACEK / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A truck mowed down a colony of wooden penguins in Wayne Ficke's yard Monday night, Feb. 13, 2012. (JACOB HANNAH/Lincoln Journal Star)

Wayne Ficke awoke Tuesday morning to a front lawn littered with roadkill, which is unfortunate for a couple of reasons.
For one, his lawn isn't a road -- despite the opinion of a local truck driver, whose identity remained unknown at midday Tuesday.
Even more troubling, Wayne himself had crafted the six life-sized masonite penguins, now casualties of a St. Valentine's Day massacre. He even built a baby penguin, a bit smaller and wearing gray paint instead of tuxedo colors.

"This was definitely deliberate," the 74-year-old said, surveying the carnage.
The responsible party apparently used Wayne's yard as a shortcut between Y Street and North Cotner Boulevard, undercutting the southwest corner of the intersection by about 10 yards and plowing into all six penguins in the process.
"I had six more at one time. Somebody stole five of those.
"We've had a lot of stuff like this."

Wayne and Jo Ann Ficke and their five adopted children have lost bicycles and a wood-carving toolbox. Once, a drunken person drove into their lawn and got stuck.
This time, Wayne didn't call the police. Or the Game and Parks Commission.
No dead wildlife here, he said.
"Looks like they're all OK."

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Scent of penguin love… is lavender

February 14 2012
By Diane Macpherson

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INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Roses are red, violets are blue, lavender is good for nesting & and so are you, could be the message between these two Valentines. Pictures: Diane MacPherson

A diamond may be a girl’s best friend, but in the African penguin world the females have far simpler tastes. They’re extremely partial to sprigs of a plant found in many SA gardens: lavender.

Well, that’s certainly the case at uShaka Sea World in Durban. And the plant is not coveted for its oils or culinary qualities, but rather as part of the birds’ wooing ritual.

Male penguins present their feathered partners with sprigs of lavender, supplied by Sea World staff, as material with which to build their nests. 

And in fact, this aromatic plant may have played a factor in the success of the breeding program at Sea World – more than 40 chicks between 2008 and 2011.

The unusual practice – believed to be a world first – began four years ago at uShaka Sea World as part of an experiment to see which nesting materials penguins liked. 

UShaka Sea World director Judy Mann says the penguins are quite particular about their nests, so they usually spend quite some time searching for the right materials because they spend about 40 days sitting on the nest incubating their eggs. Incidentally, both the male and female are equally involved, and these creatures are monogamous. 

You still bring me flowers& lavender has proved a favorite for courting Sea World penguins.

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

A staff member suggested they try lavender – and the rest is history.

“The smell of the lavender calms the penguins down,” says Mann, “and lavender has some very strong antiseptic, anti-bacterial agents in it, so it helps to keep the nests clean – and the penguins love it.”

Mann says they’ve shared their lavender success story with other scientists at two international conferences.

“And whether the lavender has helped our breeding programme success we’re not sure, but it certainly seems to be one of the factors. 

“Love is in the air and lavender is helping.

“So guys, you’ve got a new way of getting your woman – try lavender.” - Sunday Tribune 

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Image of the Day

Sculpture--------Penguins, a photo by njchow82 on Flickr.

Calgary Zoo visitors get sneak peek at ‘impressive’ Penguin Plunge exhibit

 

By Eva Ferguson, Calgary Herald February 14, 2012

 

 

Jamie Dorgan, animal care manager with the Calgary Zoo, talks about the zoo’s new Penguin Plunge exhibit, set to open Friday.

Photograph by: Gavin Young, Calgary Herald

CALGARY — Hundreds of zoo members have been lining up this week at the new Penguin Plunge exhibit for a sneak preview of the unusual, waddling black and white birds.

While the long-awaited opening to the public isn’t until Friday, those with exclusive “Inspire” and “Engage” memberships were thrilled with their early peek, all-but brief and tightly controlled.

“The penguins are very cute. They really look like they’re having fun in there, jumping into the water, being busy,” said Nicole Ahmed with her husband Ali and daughter Leyla, 2.

“And the exhibit is very impressive. It’s like you’re in an igloo, . . . it’s like the Arctic.”
Kenda Brunner, along with her two-year-old daughter Olivia, agreed: “Everything looks very clean . . . and the penguins look great, very happy.”

Zoo officials said Tuesday that while the sneak preview is one of many privileges zoo members are offered for their continued loyalty, zoo keepers explained that allowing only a few people initially is a healthier way to introduce the penguins to public viewing.

Visitors this week are being asked not to linger too long, keeping crowds moving through at a brisk pace.
“This is a good way to make sure the penguins are adjusting to everything well,” said Jamie Dorgan, an animal care manager. “We want to keep their stress levels low, keep an eye on their food consumption and make sure they’re interacting with each other in a normal way.
“So far that’s what we’re seeing,” Dorgan said.

Inside the $25-million polar-like exhibit, visitors are introduced to 46 penguins playing among rocky outcroppings, plunging into a spacious pool and popping out of holes in the ice. Natural ice and rock formations combine with flickering lights to simulate the aurora australis.
Quality of care is also a critical part of the exhibit, with dedicated water and air quality management systems to mimic the penguins’ normal environmental requirements.

Among the 46 penguins are four different species: Humboldt, gentoo, rockhopper and king.
Friday’s grand opening will begin with a 10 a.m. media event, followed by an 11 a.m. public unveiling.
Several special activities are planned for visitors.

Zoo officials hope interest in the exhibit — strategically placed near the zoo’s north entrance so it’s the first and last thing visitors see — will spark an increased public commitment toward conservation efforts.
Excessive rates of extinction, shrinking habitats and climate change are all having an impact on penguins.
Three of the four species represented at the zoo, including the gentoo, the rockhopper and the Humboldt, are either threatened or facing a population decline.

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Baby Penguins Hatched at Lowry Park Zoo

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo announces the arrival of two African penguin chicks.

• February 14, 2012

   

Two penguin chicks nest inside the penguin building Saturday at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Credit David Parkinson, zoo docent

 

Submitted by Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo:

On a day made for love birds, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is pleased to announce the successful hatching of two new African penguin chicks.

In wild colonies, penguins are thought to mate for life. Likewise, at the Zoo, African penguins usually remain with a single partner for years, and can produce one or two eggs per breeding season. Typically, the incubation period lasts about 36-42 days, and the parents will care for the chick for several weeks or months following hatching.

The newest “clutch mates” (chicks hatched from the same breeding cycle), are the first set of two successful hatchings to the same parents, known as Amber and Violet.
The last 12 months have been a busy time for the penguin colony with five successful hatchings:

• Male chick named “Marini,” hatched to Thumbelina and Flannigan Feb. 11, 2011;
• Female chick named “Taki” hatched to Thumbelina and Flannigan May 19, 2011;
• Unknown gender chick hatched to Tinkerbell and Loki Dec. 6, 2011;
• Unknown gender chick hatched to Amber and Violet Jan. 31, 2012; and
• Unknown gender chick hatched to Amber and Violet Feb. 3, 2012.

The newest penguin chicks will remain with the parents for a few weeks, then be transitioned to zookeeper care to facilitate independence and learning to swim, before ultimately joining the colony on exhibit in several months. Once on exhibit, the pair will be easy to spot with their dark gray juvenile plumage which will be replaced by the characteristic black and white feathers following their first molt.
African penguins, endemic to mainly offshore islands on South Africa’s coast, were reclassified in 2010 from 'vulnerable' to 'endangered' on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List. The Zoo’s penguins are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) African Penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP) program.

There are 17 species of penguins in the world, each distinctive.  Not all species live in frigid climates, with some well suited for warm climates.  African penguins are also known “black-footed” penguins or “jackass” penguins for their donkey-like braying sounds during courtship. The wild population has declined drastically (estimated 80 percent) in the last 50 years due to loss of habitat and oil pollution.

For an up-close encounter with the Zoo’s penguins, aviary keepers and Zoo docents (trained volunteers) offer educational talks and penguin feedings twice daily to engage guests while the birds feed, swim, waddle and play.  The Zoo also hosts an African Penguin Awareness Day in October, and works in cooperation with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), a seabird rehabilitation centre is based in Cape Town, South Africa. .Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo acknowledges with gratitude the generous support of Ameriprise Financial in its sponsorship of the Penguin Beach exhibit.

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Valentines for Penguins

Penguins at Cal Academy of Sciences received Valentines for nest-building.

By Mathew Luschek

|  Monday, Feb 13, 2012  | 

Mat Luschek

A penguin at the Cal Academy of Sciences takes his Valentine to add to his nest on Feb. 13, 2012.

For the third year in a row, the Cal Academy of Sciences hosted a Valentine's party for their African penguin colony. 

Members of the public were invited to write Valentine messages on non-toxic cardboard heart-shaped cards for the birds 

Biologist Brooke Weinstein said the penguins love the cards for nest-building purposes and welcome the event as a change of pace. 

One of the penguins, (generally the male of the bird-couple) will waddle over and take the card out of the biologist's hand, then return to their cave, adding it to the nest.  The birds are always working on their nests, and sometimes will even take to retrieving starfish from the bottom of the tank to use as nest-building material.

You can check out the penguins and their Valentines on the Live Penguin Cams here.

Check out the full gallery HERE

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Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Image of the Day

Portrait of a chinstrap penguin, a photo by Sabby3000 on Flickr.

Penguin couple get married--no joke

Sunday February 12, 2012

Wedding bells rang for one penguin couple at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium ahead of Valentine's Day next week.
Reuters reports the aquarium started staging a penguin wedding on February 10 for visitors to begin marking the holiday of love.
Organisers said penguins were selected for the event because of their monogamous nature.
The two penguins, Xiaobai and Xiaoxue had been identified as a loving couple by aquarium staff.
'First of all, Valentine's Day is coming up and we can feel this festival approaching us. Our aquarium, looking from the viewpoint of our marine species, decided to stage a wedding for this penguin couple. They are one of the few in the animal kingdom that are monogamous, which is similar to us, human beings. So we hope that through this event, everyone will feel love is in the air,' said penguin keeper, Ding Ding.
The two Humboldt Penguins from the southern hemisphere were ushered out of their enclosure and into their wedding ceremony in a remote controlled car as visitors cheered them on.
Staff then placed a bouquet of flowers on their neck to represent the wedding rings for their nuptial day with visitors taking snaps of the pair.
Visitors told Reuters they were happy to have shared this day with them. 'I am very happy to have witnessed this penguin wedding. I wish them everlasting love and I also wish for us to be happy and loving till the end of our lives. Personally, I feel very good and very happy today,' said 24-year-old Wang Guoying.
The penguin wedding will be held twice daily at the aquarium from February 11 to 14. There will be a show each in the morning and afternoon daily for visitors, with an extra one scheduled for the night of Valentine's Day.

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