Culture

Penguins parade around Pittsburgh Zoo

For Jessica Ries, her days consist of watching after and taking care of penguins at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Every Saturday and Sunday in December, guests to the zoo have the opportunity to experience a waddling penguin up close and personal without the usual glass of the exhibit in the way.

Sarah Cutshall | Senior Staff Photographer

The zoo calls this event “Penguins on Parade,” and though it is every weekend, it’s also dependent on the weather. It must be 45 degrees or colder outside to be a comfortable temperature for the birds. The parade consists of about 11 or 12 penguins waddling around the entrance to the PPG Aquarium for the many guests who line up each Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s all voluntary, so I just open the exhibit door and say ‘come on let’s go’ and the group that wants to come out comes out,” Reis, the zoo’s penguin keeper, said. “We make sure we bring both species out, we have Gentoo and Macaroni penguins.”

The penguins were seen chasing snowflakes and catching clumps of snow in their beaks during the Penguins on Parade media preview Dec. 5. Each penguin had a band around its wing. This, Reis said, is for identification.

Sarah Cutshall | Senior Staff Photographer

“You actually can’t tell if a penguin is male or female unless you do a blood test, so that’s what the bands are for — identifying them. So they all have names, this is Elsa,” she said, pointing to a penguin by her feet. “We have Mambo over there to the left, he’s one of our beefiest penguins.”

On a regular parade morning, there are plenty of families with young children lining up to see the waddling birds.

Sarah Cutshall | Senior Staff Photographer

“[My favorite part is] truly, how happy it makes the children. I mean, kids come, they get so excited. Just the laughter and the shrieks of excitement is one of the best things,” she said. “Seeing how much joy these animals bring to people is one of the best parts of my job.”

Sarah Cutshall | Senior Staff Photographer

Penguins on Parade runs every Saturday and Sunday in December at 11:30 a.m., weather permitting. The parade is included with Pittsburgh Zoo admission.

newsdesk

Share
Published by
newsdesk

Recent Posts

Opinion | How did this happen?

Thomas and I spent most of the election night texting back and forth. We both…

53 mins ago

Opinion | Intimacy is not reserved for romantic relationships

Chances are, during college, you’re going to crash out over nothing and live in a…

59 mins ago

Sam Clancy: A guarantee on Pittsburgh’s Mount Rushmore

Pittsburgh is home to some of the most important figures in sports history –– so…

2 hours ago

‘I’ll get through these next four years’: Pitt students divided over Trump’s victory, with mixed emotions on campus

As the news echoes across campus, Pitt students are grappling with mixed emotions about the…

2 hours ago

Faculty Assembly discusses antisemitic violence on campus, announces antisemitic ad-hoc committee 

On Wednesday, Nov. 6., Faculty Assembly reflected on the 2024 presidential election, addressed recent acts…

2 hours ago

DePasquale, Democrat watch party brings feelings of optimism in the community

A watch party held at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers for Pennsylvania attorney general candidate…

3 hours ago