Featured Image Credit: New Haven Register
By Laura O’Brien
Mystic Aquarium celebrated World Penguin Day in style this year with a new app, a live stream, and an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America.
PENGUINS! They’re here for #WorldPenguinDay and @clubpenguin Island. 🐧 pic.twitter.com/LOk4DZOo13
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 25, 2017
The Aquarium’s primary goal this year was to use World Penguin Day to help raise awareness about the endangered African penguin, and their Animal Rescue Program. Although, their conservation efforts extend beyond penguin-kind.
Mystic Aquarium rescues many types of sea-life. One lucky animal which was rescued and rehabilitated by the aquarium is Dandelion the gray seal; who was released on World Penguin day, after being rehabilitated for almost three months. The Animal Rescue Team released Dandelion into the wild while other spokespeople, and spokespenguins, made an appearance on Good Morning America.
Josh Davis, a trainer at Mystic Aquarium, along with the Chief Clinical Veterinarian Dr. Jen Flower, spoke on Good Morning America in order to promote the brand new Club Penguin Island app. Two African penguins joined them in their efforts to support the app, and conservation awareness. In addition to the debut of their fun new app, the Mystic Aquarium employees announced that from April 25th through May 25th, Club Penguin Island will donate up to $50,000 to conservation efforts which protect penguins all around the world; contributing $1 for every download of Club Penguin Island app until May 25th. The Aquarium’s message of conservation did not end with their broadcast on Good Morning America, more festivities in celebration of World Penguin Day were taking place at the aquarium itself.
Mystic Aquarium’s Penguin Discovery Zone was highlighted both in-person and via Facebook Live, where Stonyfield Organics declared their support for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) and promoted their own organic food products.
Fun activities and information sessions were provided to those who attended the World Penguin Day celebration. Games, crafts, and informative talks held by trainers helped encourage attendees to learn more about conservation and sustainability. Mystic Aquarium even provided helpful tips for how guests could lead more sustainable lives, and those in attendance were encouraged to make a “penguin pledge” to do little things each day in order to live more sustainably.
These little things can be as simple as not using plastic straws, or utilizing reusable water bottles and shopping bags. Mystic Aquarium’s fun and responsible celebration of World Penguin Day leaves us all with some stuff to think about! Maybe you can take the “penguin pledge” too!