The Big Man on Campus strut is out. These days, it’s all about the Penguin Waddle.
This week, and this week only, a colony of African Black-footed penguins are zigging and zagging their way down a carpeted runway at The Florida Aquarium every afternoon.
It’s Penguin Waddle Week at the downtown institution, i.e. the Aquarium’s celebration of the upcoming World Penguin Day. Usually, penguin encounters cost visitors $75 on top of admission, but through Sunday, April 26, a meet-and-greet with the aquarium’s tuxedo-ed cast is free for all visitors.
How does it work?
At a recent waddle earlier this week, wildlife enthusiasts started making their way to the main entrance around 2:30 p.m. to plop down on a tiled spot lining the massive path. The waddle begins in earnest at 2:45 p.m., and it’s a crowded affair.
The lead-up to the the penguins walk-out wasn’t unlike those final jittery moments before the Bucs or Bulls pile out of the tunnel — with an aquatic twist.
One of the staffers called out a mic check, then yelled out questions to the hoard of parents, toddlers in cheerleader fits, and watchful babies. “Do penguins have hands?” “Are penguins birds?” Can penguins fly?” Do more penguins live in cold or warm weather?” Unlike a crowd of boozy football fans or most classrooms, the bulk of the crowd answered enthusiastically.
The team called out the rules of the road: “Keep your fingers inside the ride at all times” and “don’t do anything to scare the penguins.” One staffer took volunteers to be “his penguins,” leading them in a practice waddle down the path in the final moments before the grand reveal.
Finally, with a cry of “unleash the penguins,” a team of biologists rolled the crew of penguins in on a specialized cart with little plexiglass sections for each bird. The crowd roared.
Once the team released the colony, one of the biologists led the waddling crew down the path with a target pole, a blue and white buoy on a stick, in hand. They use it to keep the penguins on track, just like folks who’ve taught their dog to “touch.”
Despite the hooplah, the penguins mostly stayed on track, seldoml veering out closer to the crowd as little ones waved and virtually everyone took videos on their cellphones. One penguin — likely the youngest guy, Archibald — was a couple short steps from the crouched down crowd at points.
The whole shuffle down the walkway only took a few minutes, but the enchantment failed to leave the room even after the crew was packed away for their trip back to their habitat.
It’s not all about the waddle
The penguin exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the duration of the event, so you can spend some extra time with the crew. If you’re headed to the aquarium in the morning, make sure to bookmark time for penguin-themed stories at 10:30 a.m.
And don’t book it once the waddle is over, there’s a Q + A hosted by one of the aquarium’s biologists right after the crew is back in their stylin’ plexi-glass trimmed cart. And yes, the penguins stick around for the questions, too.
