Newport Aquarium is saying goodbye to the cold-climate penguins that have delighted Kentucky and Cincinnati-area families for years, as the attraction clears space to grow a colony of critically endangered African penguins. The cold-climate birds currently living in Penguin Palooza will move to new homes over the coming months, and the exhibit itself will be revamped to welcome a full African penguin colony.
According to WLWT, the Newport Aquarium is expanding its African penguin colony, turning Penguin Palooza into a revamped exhibit. The aquarium said its animal care and veterinary teams have spent months planning for the penguins to move and will coordinate each placement carefully. Penguin Palooza is currently home to four species — King, Gentoo, Chinstrap and Macaroni penguins — kept in an exhibit maintained at 34 degrees with a lighting schedule designed to mimic their Antarctic home, according to information from Newport Aquarium.
A Three-Day Send-Off Before the Birds Depart
Before the cold-climate penguins leave, the aquarium is inviting visitors to a three-day farewell celebration scheduled for Nov. 20 through Nov. 22. Guests can visit the penguins one last time, write their favorite memories on a memory wall, and stop by an African penguin conservation station that will explain what the expansion means for the aquarium, per the same report from WLWT.
“These penguins have been part of so many family visits over the years, and people are going to miss them,” said Rebecca Foster, vice president and executive director of Newport Aquarium. Foster said the farewell weekend is meant to give the community a chance to say goodbye properly, adding that the aquarium is giving the area a holiday season for visitors to do just that — and that guests can also help protect one of the planet’s most endangered penguin species by supporting the new colony.
Why the Aquarium Is Betting on African Penguins
The relocation plan, according to WVXU, will send the cold-climate penguins to other aquariums and zoos over the next few months. Animal care and veterinary teams coordinated individual placements with Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan coordinators, weighing the health, age, social relationships and specific needs of every bird before deciding where each would go…