ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Penguins are thriving at the Detroit Zoo since moving into the Polk Penguin Conservation Center a year ago, studies show.
Staff at the Detroit Zoological Society’s Center for Zoo Animal Welfare have been monitoring the penguins and their welfare since November 2014. The research compares the behavior of the nearly 80 birds in their former home, the Penguinarium, to that of the new facility.
Recommended Videos
According to the research, the king penguins have increased their water usage tenfold since the move.
The penguins’ new home has 10 times the amount of water than their old home, Ron Kagan, DZS executive director and CEO, said.
He said the study allows the zoo to study factors that affect the penguins’ well-being and have more knowledge of penguin behavior.
“This is solid evidence that having additional space translates into an increase in species-typical behaviors, and that it has nothing to do with the need to find food or other resources. They simply like to swim and dive,” Kagan said.
The Polk Penguin Conservation Center is the largest penguin facility in the world, and was designed to mimic conditions in and near Antarctica.
It has a 326,000-gallon, 25-foot-deep chilled aquatic area with waves, as well as varying land terrains and falling snow.
“Whenever we design a new habitat, we aim to provide an environment that allows the animals to thrive,” Kagan said.
For guests, the center has an underwater viewing area with a 34-foot-wide acrylic window and two acrylic tunnels.
Since the center opened last year, the zoo had 1,698,053 visitors for the year, nearly 200,000 more than 2015.