Calgary Herald

DRESSED FOR A STROLL

Calgary Zoo resumes penguin walk

- YOLANDE COLE

The daily penguin walks at the Calgary Zoo will feature a larger colony this year, with the addition of five adult king penguins to the excursions.

The walks, which are scheduled to start on Saturday, weather permitting, will feature a total of 15 birds, after the zoo received the group of penguins from the Montreal Biodome.

This is the seventh year the zoo has held the walks for the king penguin colony. The outings are scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. daily from Jan. 12 to March 31, starting at the Penguin Plunge. However, the strolls don’t take place if the temperatur­e is above 5 C, if it’s very windy, or if it’s below -25 C.

“These are subantarct­ic birds, not Antarctic birds, so below -25 C will be too much for them,” said curator Malu Celli.

“But also, when it’s windy and when we have a chinook going, as we may have this weekend, we have spores in the air and if a penguin breathes that, it can cause health issues.”

Celli said the walks around the grounds were launched as a way to encourage exercise for the penguins and as a change of scenery.

“Of course, quickly we saw how valuable that was for guests too, to be so close to the penguins and see them walking on the path that they walk down with their families,” she said.

This year, the Calgary Zoo is also sharing a message with Penguin Plunge visitors about the 1 Degree of Change Challenge, which asks people to bundle up a little and lower the temperatur­e in their homes by one degree to help reduce energy consumptio­n.

“Climate change is one of the biggest threats to subantarct­ic birds and Arctic and Antarctic animals overall,” Celli said.

“Even though we may feel quite disconnect­ed from animals that live in the two poles and the areas nearby, I think climate change impacts everybody, and it’s something that we can easily do at home.”

Celli said zoo staff have held some practice walks to make sure the new members of the king penguin colony are happy to join the daily excursions.

“They seemed to, like all the others, wait by the gate at 11 a.m. because they’re looking forward to the walk and they’re ready for it,” she said.

Any updates on the daily walks will be posted on the zoo’s website and social media channels.

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 ?? JIM WELLS ?? King penguins take their daily penguin walk in front of visitors at the Calgary Zoo on Friday. The popular attraction happens at 11 a.m. each day and is in its seventh year.
JIM WELLS King penguins take their daily penguin walk in front of visitors at the Calgary Zoo on Friday. The popular attraction happens at 11 a.m. each day and is in its seventh year.

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