African Penguins Take to The Air

This summer, a group of African penguins took to the air, flying hundreds of miles through the sky on a journey from the Minnesota Zoo to their brand new home in Boston.

But how did these famously flightless birds manage to soar at 30,000 feet? By plane, of course!

Before the birds took off, their care team took steps to make their miles-high adventure as safe and comfortable as possible. This included adjusting the penguins’ daylight cycle to prepare them for their early morning flight and administering special pre- and post-flight medications to prevent travel-related illness.

Each penguin boarded the plane in pairs, in an air kennel. These kennels are very similar to those used for penguin nesting at the Zoo but are modified to meet International Air Transport Association standards. Modifications include adding hard mesh and an opaque covering to all kennel openings to prevent bites and provide a visual barrier to help promote calmness.

In total, five males and five females from the Minnesota Zoo’s African penguin colony were transferred to Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. These breeding pairs — Tiki and Velma, Cooper and Parker, Madiba and Mini Coop, Tang and Lois, and Jack and Ruandi — will join a larger group to help establish Franklin Park Zoo’s new African penguin habitat.

Together, they will be part of a cooperative breeding program called the African Penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP). SSPs strive to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population of endangered species in accredited zoos and aquariums and act as insurance policies against extinction in the wild.

Important conservation initiatives like these are only possible because of support from donors like you. Thank you!