The City of El Paso hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past week to commemorate the completion of our newest exhibit at the Zoo & Botanical Gardens – a state-of-the-art Penguin Oasis exhibit.

The exhibit is now home to a colony of Magellanic penguins, a new animal species to the Zoo. The 6.25 million dollar investment is part of the voter-approved 2012 Quality of Life Bond. The investment emphasizes the City’s commitment to providing exceptional recreational and educational opportunities for the community. The space incorporates a rocky coast that will serve as a “natural habitat” setting for the penguins and include an incredible above and underwater viewing experience for visitors.

Magellanic penguins were selected for the exhibit because of their roots from the warm and temperate coastal regions of South America such as Argentina and Chile.

Introducing our new Penguins!

We currently have 11 penguins at the El Paso Zoo. They are all offered herring, capelin, and silverside twice a day.

You may view the penguin cameras through our website. 
Click on top “Zoo Cams” Scroll down to the Penguins. Choose if you like to watch the Water Cam or the Penguins Playground.

Group 1: From Jacksonville Zoo

Tonka:
-2 years old.
-Very food motivated.
-Enjoys shiny enrichment.

Forklift:
-4 years old.
-Extremely food motivated.
-Enjoys chasing reflections in the water.

Marvel:
-2 years old.
-Shy but enjoys standing by keepers during feeding time even when he is not hungry.
-Will follow other penguins around.
-He is a lazy swimmer and simply enjoys floating.

Forklift and Tonka seem to have adjusted well to El Paso and to their keepers. They are both fast swimmers and enjoy the deep parts of the pool.

Group 2: From Cincinnati Zoo:

Ben:
-8 years old.
-Seems to be the leader of the exhibit group.
-During intros, he walked right up to the Jacksonville birds and then the others followed him around.
-He is a bit more forward and comes up to keepers.

Jerry:
-8 years old.
-A bit more laid back.
-Waits patiently for his turn to eat.
-It takes him a bit to figure out his enrichment.

Group 3: From San Diego Sea World:

Abba:
-2 years old.
-Picky eater but will stand by food bucket.

Penguins hatched at the El Paso Zoo in 2024-5

Pink band: Empress Mom Jeans
Red band: General Chaos
Hazel (2025)

2025 New Group
Hugo and Marge
Both were introduced to our initial colony with little issue. Hugo is curious and likes to be scratched. Marge is a loner and has an odd vocalization that is high pitched.

Other key features of the exhibit include:

-Interactive space for penguins and visitors
-Outdoor stadium viewing
-Above and underwater viewing
-Web cameras for the exhibit
-Audio and visual educational tools
-Restrooms and a nursing room

Photo Credits
Cover – Hector, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Top – Don Faulkner, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Chile 2007, Wikimedia Creative Commons