I visited the Oceanografic in Valencia last week and thought it well worth a visit. One of their displays is a large refrigerated tank for Gentoo penguins. I know penguin species range from Antarctica to the Galapagos and various species can expect a range of climates depending on their home range. Do penguin species normally found in the coldest polar regions do better in captivity if they are housed in an artificially chilled environment? Do they live longer, breed more, raise chicks more successfully? Also do they thrive if kept in fresh water or is salt water a must?
Yes, Penguins from the sub-antarctic and antarctic are regularly housed in chilled exhibits. Virtually all sub-antarctics in North America are housed in chilled, indoor enclosures for at least part of the year, and many facilities in Europe do as well. All facilities currently housing antarctic species (so adelies and emperors) house them exclusively in climate controlled indoor enclosures. The chilled temperatures do make things easier for the birds, as they are so well adapted to cool temperatures they can go into heat stress quite easily. They are also quite susceptible to West Nile Virus, Avian Malaria, and foreign body ingestion, and indoor housing largely mitigates those risks. It does also affect breeding success (happy, cool birds breed better), and the ability to alter temperatures and light cycles is a large help to synchronizing breeding and molting cycles. Penguins can live just fine in fresh water, and many facilities (mainly with spheniscus sp. penguins, but others as well) house their birds in fresh water. Most chilled exhibits do utilise salt water, and it is preferable for a variety of reasons, however it is not a must.
