Juvenile Penguins to Waddle Onto Exhibit for the First Time

Hatched in 2013; penguin youngsters to join adults on exhibit

Apple Valley, MINN – March 13, 2014  –The Minnesota Zoo is excited to announce that 10 juvenile penguins, hatched in November and December of 2013, will waddle into the public eye on Friday, March 14 at 9 a.m. where they will join the adult flock.

The youngsters, four males and six females, are endangered and are significant achievements for the Zoo, which opened the 3M Penguins of the African Coast exhibit in 2011.  The penguins were raised behind-the-scenes, and grew very fast: they have already molted in their juvenile plumage, can swim well, and each are starting to develop their own personalities.  The chicks were taught to eat from zookeepers, then re-introduced to adult penguins off exhibit, and have integrated well.

 African penguins live and nest on the southwest coast of Africa, feeding primarily on anchovies, sardines, herring and pelagic goby. Like most other penguins, they are endangered in the wild due to oil spills, historical hunting, and habitat destruction.  Most recently, catastrophic food shortages due to climate change has resulted in a decline in the global population.

The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org.