Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Cal Academy as African penguins receive valentines for their nests, Feb. 14, 10:30 a.m. & 3 p.m.

WHAT:

• On Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, California Academy of Sciences biologists will distribute heart-shaped valentines to the Academy’s colony of African penguins during their 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. feedings. The male penguins typically accept the hearts and present them to their female counterparts as nest-lining material.
• Press are invited to attend/cover the 10:30 a.m. feeding/valentine distribution. Interviews with Senior Biologist Sparks Perkins available afterwards.

WHY:

• African penguins were recently uplisted to “critically endangered,” with fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs in the wild and potential extinction within a decade. Species Survival Plan colonies in human care, like the Academy’s, are more important than ever to safeguard the species for the future.
• The Academy supports wild African penguin conservation through educational programs at the museum in San Francisco, and by sending biologists to South Africa to help care for the wild population.
  • Learn about two Academy biologists’ recent trip to South Africa in this blog and video
• Enrichment activities like handing out valentines are done frequently to keep the penguins engaged. African penguins normally make nests by burrowing, then collecting any available material to line the bottom of the nest. In the wild, this could include leaves, sticks, rocks, and potentially any novel object the males can pick up with their beaks. The valentines encourage breeding behavior and help penguin couples to bond.

WHEN:

• Friday, February 14
  • In-person: Visitors to the museum can see the valentines heart distribution at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
  • Livestream: Watch the valentines heart distribution online via a livestream at 3 p.m.

WHERE:

• In-person: African penguin habitat in Tusher African Hall, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
  • Press should enter through business entrance at 75 Nancy Pelosi Drive, located at the rear of the building
• Livestream: Watch a livestream of valentines being handed out at 3 p.m.

IMAGES, VIDEO, and WRITTEN CONTENT:

• Media attending in person will be able to capture footage of biologists handing out valentines to penguins.
• Photos and video b-roll are available for use.
• 4 minute video and blog post about Academy biologists’ recent trip to South Africa to care for wild penguins.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jeanette Peach, jpeach@calacademy.org, m: (949) 378-7338