Four penguins have hatched in the Gdańsk zoo.This is a species threatened with extinction

Cape penguins are an endangered species in nature (status EN according to the red book IUCN). Szacuje się, że w ciągu ostatnich 35 lat populacja tego gatunku zmniejszyła się o ponad 70 proc. i nadal spadafot. mat. ZOO

The Gdańsk flock of the penguins of the toeas has over 60 individuals and is the largest penguin family in Poland.ZOO guests will be able to see the latest penguin of income only when the young fully aduted individuals leave the nest and join the herd with their parents, i.e. in about two months.

Cape penguins are an endangered species in nature (status EN according to the red book IUCN).It is estimated that in the last 35 years the population of this species has decreased by over 70% and is still falling.The reasons are primarily: environmental contamination by the mining and mining industry, illegal hunting, the decreasing number of fish constituting the food of penguins.

Contrary to popular opinion, the tońce does not inhabit the cold regions of Antarctica, but the coast of South Africa.During breeding, penguins accumulate in Cologne, where they put on nests and lay eggs.They are strongly connected with their breeding place, they come back to him every year.Their breeding season usually lasts from September to February.

Penguins are pairing for life, and the annual Tokle of the same couples strengthen their bond.The courtship consists in the presentation of the male charms, announcing the uprising of the pair with a common trumpet, and then build the nest.The birds lay one or two eggs and get them off for a change.This process can last up to 40 days.During breeding, the so -called breeding stain develops - a folded, very blood -blooded, unpaid area appears on their stomach, which is perfectly covered with a sown egg and heats them during incubation.

Young penguin is a native and hatches equipped with a down providing him with heat.Nevertheless, his parents in the first days of the baby's life constantly heat him up.Together they also deal with feeding and care for offspring.The upbringing of the chick takes them about two months.At that time, the young grow quickly and changes the plumage from the chicking down to the first juvenile robe.In the herd on the catwalk, it is easy to recognize the youngest residents after the lack of contrasting white and black tailcoats.Young have subdued coloration: gray-black with silver gloss.

In the Gdańsk Zoo for penguins, breeding booths are prepared.However, some couples decide to build their own burrow or adopt another secluded place on their needs on their needs.They use branches, leaves and earth for construction.

Gdańsk zoo member of EAZ - what does this mean?

The Gdańsk Zoological Garden has been a member of the European Zoological Gardens Association (EAZ) since 1993.EAZA currently associates over 400 institutions from around the world.The most important assumption of the association is cooperation.

The annual EAZA conferences are a great opportunity to exchange experiences, in which the Gdańsk garden, numerous trainings or workshops are actively participating.Members remain in constant contact by consulting, exchanging experiences and sharing ideas for new solutions in both breeding and education.

However, the actions and cooperation of zoos is not enough to improve the fate of dying species.It is necessary to involve and joint actions of people from around the world.Each of us has an impact on the condition of the natural world, through our daily behavior and elections.We decide for ourselves whether there will be a place in nature for animals or whether zoological gardens will become their only refuge.

Like Noah's Ark

Contemporary zoological gardens play an extremely important role in the protection of animals, they are like Noah's ark.Most species have a designated coordinator.This person who keeps the pedigree book of a given species, analyzes the degree of kinship between individual individuals, selects breeding couples, issues recommendations of animal transfer between zoo, develops guidelines for maintenance, nutrition and veterinary care.

Thanks to this, many gardens are kept by the same species, the exchange of individual individuals is exchanged, input breeding (too close crossing) is avoided and healthy, strong animals are born, which in the future may reach the natural environment and power or recreate the dying population.

Of course, this work is only possible in close cooperation between all zoos - sharing experiences (both successes and failures) and drawing knowledge from scientific research conducted in gardens and the natural environment.

Close cooperation of breeders, population biologists, educators, scientists allows you to create a list of species that are most at risk and which we can realistically help.

To maintain the status of a member, each garden associated in EAZ every ten years passes control (screening), run by specialists from other zoos and the EAZ office.

The screening group also includes an employee of the Gdańsk zoo - Izabela Krause, deputy director of DS.breeding.During the inspection, all aspects related to animal breeding are checked very carefully: the conditions in which they live, the size and quality of the rooms and catwalks, protection, the place of food preparation and storage, the method of food distribution, cleaning and waste cleaning systems, and many other aspects.During the inspection, it is also checked whether a given garden conducts educational activities that are an important element of the mission of every zoo.

Animal transfers

The ethical code of the applicable Zoological Gardens associated in EAZ strictly defines the way of replacing animals.Animals covered by EEP and ESB programs are transferred to themselves free of charge, of course after obtaining the consent of the coordinator of the species.To get an animal, the garden must show that it has the appropriate living conditions (meeting a strictly defined requirements of a pavilion with separate rooms, appropriate temperature, humidity, ground, arrangement and equipment, paddock, pool, security, etc..) that employees have knowledge and skills that allow animals to provide the best possible conditions.

Although the gardens do not pay for the animal itself, it is associated with many expenses.First of all, the garden must cover the costs of transporting animals.For many species, such as.elephants, giraffe or lions, this requires the involvement of companies specializing in transporting dangerous animals.Acquiring another individual of the species already often requires the implementation of the investment: enlargement or adding new rooms and catwalk, separating zones to rearing of newborn individuals, changes in arrangement and equipment.In the event of a decision to start breeding a new species, it is necessary to prepare specific living conditions in advance, build the entire needed infrastructure, and often also to provide employees of the garden of training in caring for the new species.

Pedigree of dying species

Podczas tworzenia planu kolekcji, gatunki zwierząt są kwalifikowane do programówbreeding – EEP Europejski Program Hodowlany i ESB Europejska Księga Rodowodowa.Almost every species living in the Gdańsk Zoological Garden is covered by such a breeding program of endangered species.The Gdańsk Garden runs the EEP Patagonian Program.

School of ecology

European zoological gardens associated in EAZA are visited by over 140 million guests annually, thanks to which they have a huge impact on education and shaping ecological attitudes in society.The Gdańsk Zoological Garden actively participates in EAZ educational and information campaigns, using a large group of recipients through social media, events, nature lessons, field games and many other forms.

Animals in zoos are also a kind of ambassadors of their relatives in nature.Thanks to them, we not only bring the animal world closer to the guests of the zoo, we pay attention to the state of their threat, the problems associated with progressive anthropopression and related climate change.Thanks to money collections carried out in zoo, gardens support protection projects in the natural environment.

In 2019, the Gdańsk garden led the Orangutany #Olelej Orangutans campaign, 31 thousand were collected on the occasion of the information and educational campaign.PLN, which were entirely transferred to the protection of orangutans on the island of Borneo in Malaysia.The annual salary of an employee monitoring orangutans in the province of Sabah (Hutan project), living in forests directly bordering the oil palm plantations, was paid for.