Dozens of people gathered at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla on Tuesday for the highly-anticipated grand opening of the Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins exhibit.
Harry Helling, Executive Director of Birch Aquarium; Margaret Leinen, Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences and Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography were joined by San Diego elected officials in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the immersive habitat to the public. The exhibit is the first of its kind on the West Coast.
In honor of the newest additions to the Birch Aquarium, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria declared July 12, 2022, as “Little Blue Penguins Day” in the City of San Diego.
“The Birch Aquarium has been a part of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceonography and the San Diego community for nearly 120 years. That is really remarkable,” Gloria said. "We want to give people here in San Diego, and folks visiting us the opportunity to watch these creatures and understand the challenges they face within our changing environment.”
The 2,900-square-foot habitat houses a colony of 15 squawking penguins that stand about 12 inches tall and weighs about 2 to 3 pounds, each with their own distinct personality. Guests may see the waddling penguins up-close as they swim and glide through the 18,000-gallon pool. The habitat also features multiple burrows, a sandy beach, and plants that mimic the coastal dunes and rocky shores of their native lands in Southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.
The Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins exhibit even has a private retreat and its own medical care facility.
“The Little Blue Penguins are getting the top-tier care since we moved them into the facility just three weeks ago,” Healing said.
According to Healing, this is not just a display but a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) collaborative international program called Species Survival Plans (SSP). Each SSP Program coordinates the individual activities of participating member institutions through a variety of species, research, husbandry, management, and educational initiatives.
“We will be breeding these Little Blue Penguins, along with four other partner institutions to maintain safe and genetically diverse populations in the wild. Our decision to bring penguins is also a part of a deeper strategy that Birch has come up with to communicate complex science—particularly climate science—to a broad swath of our community,” Healing said.
Only a handful of AZA institutions have Little Blue Penguins including Dallas World Aquarium, the Bronx Zoo, Adventure Aquarium, Louisville Zoo, and the Cincinnati Zoo.
National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis commends the aquarium's educational program, which serves nearly 50,000 K-12 students annually, “providing hands-on experiences that connect students to the ocean, earth, and atmosphere while developing their critical thinking skills”.
“Adding the charismatic creatures like the Little Blue Penguins in the mix, we know can only serve to engage students more and help to inspire the next generation of ocean advocates,” Sotelo-Solis said. “It is through these opportunities that open so many more doors for the next generation, but even people like myself who can take advantage and learn more about the ocean, among other opportunities.”
Upon entering the exhibit, guests may notice informational cards with the names of each seabird, detailed descriptions, and colored dots. According to Kayla Strate, Lead Penguin Aquarist, a colorful wing band is placed on each bird to help staff distinguish one bird from another.
Six penguins in the exhibit received names through philanthropic gifts: Magic, Nero, Persimmon, Reka, Cornelius, and Katie. Azulito got his name after an online naming campaign in June.
According to Strate, “the birds are happy, thriving and adapting nicely to their new surroundings. Eventually, we’re hoping the penguins will form a successful breeding colony.”
The public may see Little Blue Penguins live through a new live penguin webcam. Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins is included in the cost of general admission to Birch Aquarium, which is $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for children ages 3-17. Visit aquarium.ucsd.edu for more information.
