Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrates penguin “hatchdays”

African Penguins, Poppy, Monty, and Amigo each celebrated their “hatchdays,” Saturday afternoon.

The penguins were given their very own “birthday cake” made out of ice and toys to play with. The three are some of the youngest penguins at the aquarium. Poppy and Monty turned 1-year-old and Amigo turned 3-years-old.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrates the health and longevity of the animals, as African Penguins are currently at risk of extinction.

“We want to show that these guys are ambassadors for their wild counterparts. We want to talk about their story because they are having a really hard time in the wild. They’re down to about 3% of their original population from 100 years ago. We want to give people an idea of what’s happening in the wild to these guys,” said Monterey Bay Aquarium Senior Aviculturist, Kimberly Fukuda.

The penguins are a part of a Species Survival Plan at the aquarium. The goal is to help maintain the genetic health of African Penguins and prevent them from becoming extinct.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium takes part in the effort along with 50 other zoos and aquariums across the United States.