Oregon Zoo seeks upgraded habitat for Humboldt penguins

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) -- The Oregon Zoo’s Humboldt penguins could get a better nest under the zoo’s plans for future upgrades.

Metro is seeking a $380 million bond to upgrade parts of the zoo, including a new habitat to replace the aging penguinarium.

The zoo is home to 19 Humboldt penguins, with another three eggs nearing hatching time.

Humboldt penguins are named for the Humboldt Current, a cold ocean current that runs along the west coast of South America, where the penguins are from. Humboldt penguin populations have been reduced by guano mining, which destroyed their nesting sites; the fish they eat being taken by commercial fishing; and harsh seasons of El Niño.

“We’ve come a long way in our understanding of what these animals need,” Marcus Jason, the zoo’s supervisor for birds, herps and small mammals, said of the penguins.

Read more at PortlandTribune.com.

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