Why Are Dakota Zoo’s New African Penguins on Endangered Species List?

According to Bismarck Tribune, the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck is getting a new animal enclosure this year. In an effort to help an endangered species, Bismarck Tribune reports that the zoo will be taking in eight male African Penguins. Even though these penguins will soon be calling this wintery state "home," these particular penguins do not like the cold - so they will have a summer-y exhibit.

Did you know that there are penguins that live in warm climates?

As it turns out, the penguins in the movie Madagascar may have actually belonged in Africa with all the other zoo animals that ended up there. If you did not know, there are certain species of penguins that do not live in cold weather. According to Animal Fact Guide, African Penguins "live in colonies on the coast and islands of southern Africa," where they swim for fish and crustaceans.

Why are African Penguins endangered?

Sadly, human intervention is the cause for African Penguins' endangered status. Animal Fact Guide states that there are several factors contributing to the potential demise of the birds. The reasons why the African Penguins' population is waning are because their guano nests are being removed and used for fertilizer AND their food supply is being cut down due to overfishing and pollution.

How many African Penguins roam the earth?

The most current information I could find about how many African Penguins is from 2016. Even though the information is a little dated, it is heartbreaking. According to Lion World Travel, there were about 3 million wild African Penguins at the beginning of the 20th century, but fewer than 19,000 breeding pairs were alive, in the wild, by 2016.