Oregon Zoo Penguinarium

Penguinarium

Overview | Animals | Exhibit Information

Overview

This exhibit is home to a colony of more than 35 Humboldt penguins--the most endangered of the penguin species--and a flock of Inca terns. Designed to replicate the rocky, coastline of their native habitat in Peru, the exhibit includes a wave machine and Jacuzzi-type jets that simulate the ocean currents. The Penguinarium, completed in 1984, received a Significant Achievement Award from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).

Exhibit Animals

Birds

Humboldt Penguins

Inca Terns

Exhibit Information

Completed: 1984

Cost: $880,000

Architects: Jones and Jones

Exhibit History: The zoo's penguin story began in 1957 when an entourage traveled to Antarctica to collect a colony of penguins. Emperors and Adelies arrived in Portland, and were housed in an open exhibit. But most of them, as well as a second and third group of birds, succumbed to asperogillosis, a lung disease.

Air and water filtration was the solution, so in 1976, the penguin area was enclosed. This made way for a colony of Humboldts. Thirteen Humboldts arrived in Portland, and the Oregon Zoo began its commitment to preserving this endangered species.

The1984 remodeling presented the birds with substantial improvements, and a much more attractive exhibit. Gone are the two white concrete islands designed to resemble ice flows. What was once a cold, barren, stylized architectural statement of the Antarctic has been replaced by a warm, barren, rocky replication of the coast of Peru.

That's right - warm. These penguins are hot! To make the water and air temperature like that of their native Peru, the exhibit is heated to 70 degrees. A wave machine moves the water to simulate the natural surf action, and jets create currents.

The residents are kept cozy by other penguin amenities. Gunite and real rocks have been placed in strategic formations that create walkways and private nesting boxes. In the past, the bird's feet became cut and scraped on the rough rocks. To prevent that, the surface of some of the rocks and major walkways have been covered with a rubberized material similar to that found on running tracks. A new air and water filtration system was installed. Voila! The perfect penguin compound.

But that's not all that is so special about the Penguinarium. Architects also kept visitors in mind when designing the interior. It's difficult to determine what the most liked feature will be - the fact that it's warm, or has three viewing areas, or that in one fell swoop, visitors can learn everything they've always wanted to know about penguins but didn't know where to ask.

Penguins are definitely delightful animals to watch. The Penguinarium has viewing areas where it is possible to see them waddling on the walkways, paddling about on the water, and torpedoing at speeds of up to 22 miles per hour through the artificial surf. In addition, nest boxes are in full view, and can be monitored with video cameras so visitors can watch sitting birds hatch their young.

Speakers have been installed so that it is possible to hear the birds communicate. Penguins make a very loud braying sound similar to that of a donkey.

To put visitors in the right frame of reference, the environment of the rugged Peruvian coastline is portrayed through the rather barren walkway leading to and through the exhibit. At the entrance, a photo mural gives humans the visual feel of the natural habitat. From that point, a series of interpretive graphics presents a short course on the particulars of penguin life.

Understanding the anatomy of the flightless bird is made easier by comparing the penguin's skeleton with an eagle's. Both birds weigh about nine pounds, but their anatomy is very different. A video monitor shows a minute's worth of swimming penguins. A penguin feather is magnified to show its insulating qualities. And among a series of large wall graphics are panels that explain penguin behavior, courtship, habitat, evolution, diet, child rearing and nesting habits. The 18 species of penguins found in the world, all south of the equator, are represented by life sized models. A map shows each species' natural habitat.

It has been found that zoo animals generally breed best when the conditions in which they are kept are as similar as possible to those found in the wild.

Humboldt penguins are an endangered species. Less than 20,000 now exist in the wild. The Oregon Zoo is one of only a few zoos in the country that has a breeding program.

The strength of the Oregon Zoo's commitment is evidenced by the fact that it hold the regional studbook on the penguins. Studbooks are generally kept on a species that are endangered in the wild, exist well in captivity, and can be maintained in a breeding capacity. Parentage and blood lines are recorded, so as to avoid the possibility of genetic defects appearing in offspring of closely related individuals. Breeding is arranged cooperatively among zoos to insure maintenance of a healthy gene pool.

So amid all the fun and frolicking inside the most posh of penguin pads, useful information in behavior and reproducing biology is being obtained for future use. The natural habitat of these birds is not easily accessible, which makes it difficult to study them in the wild. The zoo's Penguinarium makes a perfect compromise.