No tux required to party with the penguins at wildlife park

They’re commonly called “jackass penguins.”

That seemingly pejorative nickname has nothing to do with the penguins’ personalities; rather, they’re called that because of the braying sounds they make, like a donkey.

When Tanganyika Wildlife Park opens to the public for its 2017 season on Friday, it will have 18 new penguins – more properly known as African black-footed penguins – to make up a colony of 37 penguins in the new Trouble Maker’s Cove exhibit.

And for the first time in forever, the birds will have an indoor sheltered area where guests can interact with the penguins and their caretakers, for a fee.

“You get to go behind the scenes, see how we prep the diets and take care of them,” said Matt Fouts, Tanganyika’s assistant director. “You’ll get to feed them for sure, and you’ll also get a little painting to take away that they’ll do for you.”

For a much higher fee, guests can actually put on a wetsuit and hop in the water alongside the penguins. Last year, about a dozen people took a dip with the penguins, and Fouts said he anticipates it will become more popular this year.

“We’re the only place in North America you can swim with penguins,” Fouts said. “With the new covered area, we got to extend the season on that.”

Tanganyika’s Trouble Maker’s Cove will be home to 37 African black-footed penguins, two Asian clawed otters and “fan favorite” Luna, an albino alligator.

It is its most expensive expansion project in the park’s 9-year history. It was completed over the winter at a cost between $400,000 and $450,000, according to Fouts.

Trouble Maker’s Cove is partially enclosed, featuring a solid roof but with open-air windows covered by screens.

Fouts said the expansion is part of a multiphase expansion to add a children’s zoo at the park.

“Originally, this was the second phase of it,” he said. “We were going to do this along with a splash park, but because of malaria and other health concerns for the animals, we decided to speed this one up and do it first, because we wanted to get the penguins more protected.”

Inside Trouble Maker’s Cove, the penguins are easily accessible behind a rope fence, a mere arm’s length away for curious children – and adults. But the park discourages anyone from touching the birds – after all, as a sign on the door warns, they can bite.

“Obviously we could build a wall of glass and, you know, you wouldn’t really be able” to interact with the penguins, Fouts said. “We wanted people to feel close and get close to the penguins. Anytime we allow that closeness, it does take a matter of restraint or respect on behalf of the public. It’s a very big system built on trust. We trust that people are going to respect the animals in their space.”

Tanganyika, which invests heavily in its breeding programs, wanted to bolster its penguin breeding program, Fouts said – that’s at least partially why Trouble Maker’s Cove currently exists.

“That’s why we do most of what we do here is the preservation of species – the penguins are a great example,” Fouts said. “Their population has just been decimated over the last several decades. They’ve lost over 90 percent of their population. ... We want to have a viable population here, not only in the park but in the United States, so that we can ensure the preservation of the species.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 7:58 PM with the headline "No tux required to party with the penguins at wildlife park."