Penguins of the World Poster

July 24th, 2012.

@snowleopard: of all of the penguin exhibits that you have seen in the 180 zoos and aquariums you have visited, what are your favorites?

Bonus question: what penguin species do you most want to visit in the wild (if any).

You are going to get a long, pre-prepared answer! For my bonus question: I'd love to see a Galapagos penguin in the wild. On a side note I've been to the Calgary Zoo for the past two consecutive days and I've yet to see their supposedly world-class penguin habitat because the lineups are outrageous and I've had two impatient kids with me. I plan to go a 3rd time as I have heard many nice things about the $25 million addition to the zoo, but after the first 40 minutes of the zoo being open the lineups are a minimum 1 hour wait just to get into the building. Yikes!

My extensive reply:

Major American zoos with outdoor penguin exhibits: Bronx, Maryland, Roger Williams Park, Philadelphia, Montgomery, Jacksonville, Tampa’s Lowry Park, Memphis, Tulsa, Dallas, Brookfield, Fort Wayne, Columbus, Toledo, Milwaukee County, Sedgwick County, Denver, Saint Louis, Omaha, San Francisco, Woodland Park and Point Defiance.

Major American zoos with indoor penguin exhibits (glass-covered habitats): Pittsburgh, Knoxville, Louisville, Riverbanks, Fort Worth, Caldwell, Lincoln Park, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Saint Louis, Omaha, Cheyenne Mountain, Milwaukee County and Oregon.

Smaller American zoos with penguins: Central Park, Rosamond Gifford, Erie, Henry Vilas, Little Rock, Topeka, John Ball, Akron, Blank Park, Great Plains, Wildlife World, Boise, Sacramento and Santa Barbara.

Of course these lists are not all-inclusive and there are many other smaller zoos (and plenty of aquariums) with the iconic black-and-white birds.

Top 5 (only looking at zoos):

1- Saint Louis Zoo - chilly, open-topped and brilliant
2- Woodland Park Zoo - 2009 award-winner that is large and varied
3- Sedgwick County Zoo - 2007 exhibit similar to Woodland Park's
4- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo - it snows in this all-indoor habitat
5- Indianapolis Zoo - glass-bottom section is a major innovation

Honourable Mentions:

- Omaha also has penguins in with giraffes!
- Brookfield has towering cliffs over their birds
- Detroit has an old, stinky, yet intriguing Penguinarium
- Riverbanks has an all-indoor exhibit in a beautiful Bird House
- Dallas has a small but scenic habitat

Brookfield Zoos is indoor but the roof is a glass dome so you feel like you are outside.