I wonder how many hours a day the penguins spend on that platform with their trainers, vs how much time they actually use the rest of the exhibit space. When I visited the Maryland Zoo for the first time in February I stopped by this famous exhibit multiple times but the penguins were never swimming and were always on that pier.
@ZooElephantsMan They were swimming 2 of the three times we walked by this exhibit; we even saw some porpoising. They’re just up on the platform for the two feeding times, and I assume feeding time takes quite a while as they have a lot of penguins to get through!
I'd say the only aspect of the exhibit that is not regularly utilized is the dump tank basin. A few curious juveniles will venture up there only to be startled by the waves.
@NAIB Volunteer Yeah, my friend who had never seen the exhibit before asked if they ever went in there and I was like “…probably not…” The water’s too rough.
