Cold Weather Penguin Primary Biologist: Dan Clady Secondary Biologist: Tamara King Equipment used: A. Radio* B. Warehouse Key* C. Handheld mic – On stand in employee area D. Headset Mic* E. Earbuds and pack* -For hearing your audience members when you’re in the exhibit. F. Batteries -Found on charger on the wall. G. SOP* H. Artifacts, if wanted: Feathers, Egg shells, Dummy eggs, Penguin skull, Etc. -Can be found backstage in the penguin’s kitchen cabinet, or in artifact cart. I. IPod*: with videos of feeding, molting and painting. -*Will be found in cubby, or in the office. Feel free to call 205 if you can’t find them. Species: 1. Gentoo Penguins- South America and surrounding Sub Antarctic islands. They are the fastest swimming penguins in the world, between 22-25 MPH. 2. Macaroni Penguin- South America and surrounding Sub Antarctic islands. One of two types of crested birds here at the Newport Aquarium. When they were discovered, having a feather in you cap was a type of style called macaroni. They got this name because of the feathers on their heads. They have the slicked back yellow hair-do compared to the Rockhopper’s angry eyebrows. 3. Rockhopper Penguin- South America and surrounding Sub Antarctic islands. The smallest species we have here at the Newport Aquarium. They stand a foot and a half (18 inches) tall, compared to the smallest penguin in the world, which is the Fairy Blue, which only stands 13 inches tall. They also have the angry yellow eyebrows compared to the Macaroni’s yellow hair-do. 4. Chinstrap Penguin- Antarctica, Some of the oldest penguins we have here at the Aquarium. Average lifespan in the wild: 15-20 years, Under professional care: 30-40 years. A few of our Chinstraps are around 30, including Spike (this is true in 2017, in the future use the current age) . 5. King Penguins- Antarctica, Second largest penguin in the world. They stand 3-3 ½ feet tall. Compared to the Emperor Penguin, the largest penguin in the world, who stands 4- 4 ½ feet tall. 5a.(not found in this exhibit) African Penguins- Africa, like it between 60-100 degrees. This exhibit is too cold for them. At 40 degrees in the air and 50 in the water they could get hypothermia in this exhibit. Tank Facts: Air temperature 40 degrees, water temperature 50 degrees, this varies slightly depending on the penguins’ season. They are on their natural light and temperature cycle for breeding and molting health. Snow machine is used for enrichment Igloos are meant to give the birds a space of their own, and to encourage breeding. Second story is meant for the smaller species, but the Kings usually lay eggs up there. The tank is 8,000 gallons of fresh water Rules for guests: N/A- encourage them to ask questions. Try not to let anyone block or enter the blue gate, as it is an employee area only. Rules for Employees: You must be trained by a 205, 202, or Dan Clady before you can enter the house. Check with 205s or Dan to make sure there are no eggs or injuries in the house, and that we are clear to enter. Rules for going into the house Make sure you have a radio and a warehouse key Let guests know what’s happening, unless you want it to be a surprise, and enter through the blue door to the right of the exhibit. Make sure the door is closed behind you. Remove your shoes and put on rubber boots located on the back left side of the backstage area. Enter the cold hallway behind the exhibit. The door will be to the left of the rubber boots. Make sure the door closes behind you. Walk through the footbath on the floor in the hallway. If there is no footbath, call Dan Clady. Do not continue to enter the cold weather penguin house without using the footbath. Enter the cold room connected to the hallway. Make sure the door is closed behind you. Enter the penguin area. Be sure the door closes behind you. Make sure to watch your feet for penguin toes while coming into the exhibit. Check your mic and make sure the guest can hear you by asking them to wave or nod. When leaving, follow the same process as above in reverse. You do not have to walk through the footbath on the way out. Common Issues: Penguins fall off the second story sometimes, and guests worry: Let them know they have a lot of padding so they are usually cushioned well and uninjured. Guest is looking for a penguin encounter: direct them upstairs to the additional experience area, in the lobby on the wooden benches next to the whale. Guest is trying to fit a stroller on the escalator, or can’t find the elevator: stop them and direct them to the elevator to the left of the penguin exhibit. Guests are looking for a penguin show, or want to see the penguins do tricks: Tell them that we support animal choice programing here at Newport Aquarium and we don’t want to force animals to do things they don’t want to do. Sometimes watching the penguins swim and porpoise feels like enough of a show. Also direct them to the Penguin Feed, Shark Ray Feed, Penguin Sunrise, Animal Encounters, etc. If Guests say “show” figure out what they mean, if they are looking for a feed etc. Also see what animals they are interested in seeing and see if you can direct them appropriately. If feed is early, late, or hasn’t started yet: Still do the talk as best you can. Explain that the Biologists at the aquarium work very hard and have a lot on their plate, and sometimes their schedule gets thrown off a little bit. Safety Policy: A.) Make sure all doors are closed behind you when going into and out of the penguin exhibit. B.) Put on boots before going into the hallway behind the exhibit. C.) Use foot bath in the hallway behind the exhibit. D.) Don’t touch the penguins in the exhibit unless they clearly and purposefully approach you. E.) Don’t go on exhibit if anyone else is in there, unless it is Dan Clady and you ask him first. Too many people in the exhibit makes the birds feel stressed because they think something medical will be done. F.) Don’t climb the rocks to get to the second story or for any reason. G.) If you notice a penguin is injured while on exhibit, let Dan, or the penguin biologist on duty know as soon as possible. You can call for them on channel 1 for Dan Clady or Moses (which Dan also goes by), otherwise call 205 Emergency Situations: Fire Extinguishers- Located to the left of the emergency exit doors in Shark Central. Fire pull handle- Located in Penguin Palooza right next to the emergency exit door. Emergency Exits- Stairwell located to the right of the penguin map in Penguin Palooza + Parking garage exit in Shark Central. In the case of a fire: Gather everyone and have them exit out the stairwell next to the penguin map, or out to the parking garage exit in shark central. Make sure to have a radio on you before you go. In the case of a power outage: Get the flashlight from your work station and have everyone stay put so they don’t bump into things and each other in the dark. If the power doesn’t come back on shortly you will get a radio call with further instructions, or 205 will come and get you. In case of code Blowfish (bomb threat): Exit same doors as fire exits and move away from the building, at least as far as the Taylor Southgate Bridge. In the case of severe weather/tornado: Have guests stay put if possible. We cannot force them to stay. Some areas of the aquarium will be closed off. Keep your radio and flashlight handy and wait for instructions from 205. FAQs: Where is the elevator? At the beginning on the penguin exhibit on your right, or at the end of shark central on your left. Where are the bathrooms? The closets ones are back in the café on your right. How do you tell the girls penguins from the boy penguins? There is no easy physical way to tell them apart. Our biologists do bloodwork and take note of which penguin is which. How cold is it in there? The exhibit is kept at about 40 degrees in the air, 50 degrees in the water. It changes slightly as the seasons change because we keep the penguins on their natural light and temperature cycle to encourage healthy molting and breeding. Why are bubbles coming out of the penguins when they swim? Penguins have the ability to raise and lower their feathers, and sometimes trap air between their feathers and squeeze it out while they’re swimming. Do you have any Emperor Penguins? There are no Emperor Penguins in this exhibit. The largest species we have here are the King Penguins. The Emperors like it so cold that some of the other penguin species here would be uncomfortable, and the water would freeze to they would have it to play in, exercise in, and clean their feathers in. What do penguins eat? Penguins like a variety of seafood including fish, squid and krill, which are tiny shrimp How can I help endangered penguins? Penguin encounters, penguin paintings, water conservation, electricity conservation, recycling etc.