Comments on: African penguin Reproduction: New Nest

By: Andrys

Andrys — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:07:49 +0000

Howard is irresistable !

By: Elaine

Elaine — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:19:19 +0000

Hi Pam,

This afternoon around 1pm (6/18), it seemed as though one of the males (with no visible armband) made a mating attempt (where he climbed up on another’s back, a female I assume, with a red armband)! There also seemed to be much commotion among the other penguins afterwards. There’s no need to go into great detail about it, but I would be interested in knowing a bit more about how mating effects the rest of the colony, socially, and how many of the 5 unmated pairs are doing in terms of their “penguin courtship.” Thanks for caring for these wonderful creatures — I enjoyed the visit very much!

By: pschaller

pschaller — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:20:04 +0000

Hi Claudia, The wetsuit is designed for divers and biologists with all uses in mind. The penguins would not interpret the staff to be a penguin even if we dressed like them. The spray bottle has a dilute Dawn dishwashing soap solution in order to clean. We use mild detergents in the exhibit and Dawn in particular because it is used as the cleaning agent in the rehabilitation of birds subject to oil spills in the wild. It has proven to be a safe and effective solution under these conditions.

By: Claudia Jelden

Claudia Jelden — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:23:44 +0000

Pam, I’ve been wondering why you don’t get a wetsuit that is designed like a penguin. You know, with a white front and black back?

Hey, I saw you using a spray bottle squirting stuff into the water. What was that?

By: pschaller

pschaller — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:15:44 +0000

Hi Lynn, There are 9 available nest sites for sexually mature mated pairs (we currently have 4 mated pairs). There are also 4 penguins currently molting (all penguins replace their feathers once per year) they include “Pierre”, “Dunker”, “Domino” and “Adasha”.

By: lynn

lynn — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:05:25 +0000

Hi Pam,

How many nesting areas are there including other’s that you can open? Also, Dunker seems to be loosing more of his hair and also seems to have gotten bigger in the last month or so. I love Dunker…he has such personality.

By: pschaller

pschaller — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:20:49 +0000

Hi Jenifer, “Safara” is “Howard’s” current mate. She has a red band on her left wing. There is a Blog about them in last year’s posts, with a photo of both of them together. I will also try to get a new photo of her on the site soon.

By: Jenifer

Jenifer — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 01:45:46 +0000

Hi, Howard! What a nice-looking young (penguin) man you are!

Pam, I would love to see a pic and some info about Howard’s girlfriend. Thanks for all the work you do, I love coming to visit and have been several times.