The Penguin Plunge exhibit has been open since February at the Calgary Zoo, and I have wanted to check it out for months. However, rumours of hour and a half waits kept my enthusiasm at bay. It was a high of -22 degrees today, and people had better things to do than go to the zoo-- so Tom and I decided we wanted to spend out afternoon there.
At the entrance of the park, we were greeted by a group of penguins huddled together in the snow. You can see from the photos that the penguins are very close-- basically within touching distance. Although a sign warned us, "We hang by the glass but it does NOT mean we want you to pet us or give us weird things to eat! Help our keepers care for us by giving us space and keeping your belongings to yourself. P.S. We bite too!"
King penguins hanging out by the exhibit glass.
King penguins.
When we entered inside the exhibit, the only other soul's were the volunteer and trainer. The volunteer told us that the exhibit stays at 5 degrees year-round. She also told us that all of the penguins have been raised in captivity. The King penguins had never seen snow before their arrival at the zoo, so the zookeepers leave a door open so they have the option to go outside if they want. Clearly the King penguins love the snow-- they were ALL outside.
Gentoo penguin in a slow belly slide.
The exhibit is constructed so that you can get up close and personal with the penguins. This also means that it is relatively easy for the penguins to escape from the exhibit. The trainer told us that the penguins often make escapes when there are few people inside. Once the penguins are out, they immediately want back in! The trainers or volunteers will then have to corner the panicky penguin (squawking, pooping, and generally freaking out), and the zookeeper will walk the penguin to a back door to let it back inside.
Two Rockhopper penguins warming up after a meal.
We could see penguins playing with squid (i.e. lunch) in the exhibit. And we spotted to Rockhoppers who had apparently just gorged themselves. The volunteer told us that when the penguins eat a lot, their body temperatures drop, so they will shiver to warm themselves up. The Rockhopper on the left in the photo above will often do a little jig to warm up.
It was actually quite nice with the zoo being so empty. Many of the animals were sleeping out of sight-- presumably keeping warm on such a chilly day. But the animals who were out were very active with only a few people out and about to watch them.
Two Bactrian camels smile at us while munching away.
This camel was busy scratching his butt on the hitching post. He (or she?) seemed quite content in the snow.
Bactrian camel hanging out in the snow.
The only elephant in the viewing area was the male elephant, Spike. He pushed his ball around, and entertained us by feeling around inside a locked box for food.
Spike, the only male resident elephant at the zoo.
In the African Savannah exhibit, we viewed the hippos frolicking in their enclosure, and the giraffes nibbling at some branches. We also viewed the Rock Hyraxes taking an afternoon nap, and the warthogs family snuffling about.
Two Rock Hyraxes snuggled in their home.
Male warthog.
All in all, we spent about two and a half hours at the zoo before we joined the rest of our family for Christmas dinner. Not too shabby of a day, if you ask me!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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