Maryland Zoo bird curator to lead national penguin program
Baltimore, MD (WHTM) The Bird Curator at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore has been appointed to lead a national breeding and population management initiative for Spheniscus demersus, better known (and loved) as the African penguin.
A press release from the zoo announced Jen Kottyan will now be the Program Leader for the African Penguin Species Survival Plan© (SSP).
As such, she will now oversee African penguin breeding programs at zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or AZA.
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Kottyan has worked with the SSP for some time. She relocated to Maryland Zoo in June of 2008 specifically to work with the Zoo’s colony of African penguins.
Maryland Zoo holds the largest colony of African penguins in North America. Their breeding program has produced more than 1,000 chicks. (The birds are one of the Zoo’s most popular visitor attractions. )
The Zoo’s award-winning Penguin Coast habitat draws inspiration from fishing villages along the western coast of South Africa and Namibia, where these penguins live in the wild.
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Even though they’re a protected species, the number of wild African penguins has declined dramatically – so dramatically, in fact, there is a real possibility the birds could go extinct within ten years. Reasons for the drop in population are many; the penguins must compete with commercial fishermen for access to their main food source, they are vulnerable to ocean pollution such as spills from oil tankers, and humans often disturb their nesting grounds.
The Zoo’s penguin team has been traveling to support a seabird rescue facility in South Africa for years. The zoo also helped found a similar facility that’s just is getting up and running in Namibia.
The second Saturday in October is African Penguin Day! They need our help.
“Jen’s experience with penguins and deep familiarity with their breeding and population management made her an excellent choice to run this national program with a global impact,” said Margaret Rose-Innes, General Curator at the Maryland Zoo.
“Anyone who’s interacted with the African penguin colony at our Zoo knows how incredible these animals are,” Kottyan said. “Because of the decreasing populations in the wild, the work of the AZA’s African Penguin SSP Program is more critical now than ever.”
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