Thursday, December 28, 2017

From the Mystic Aquarium



No empty nest syndrome here!

December marked the beginning of breeding season for the African penguins at Mystic Aquarium. Every winter, the Aquarium provides its penguins the opportunity to nest at night in a climate controlled location behind their exhibit. The penguin team fills the room to mimic sand found in their natural habitat, and place huts along the walls for each mating pair. Nesting materials are then scattered throughout the room for the penguins to collect and use as they settle in for breeding season.

Why is nesting season so important for our African penguins? With the continued decline in wild populations of African penguins, Mystic Aquarium, along with other accredited zoos and aquariums, are working collaboratively to help reverse this devastating trend. As part of our participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) African Penguin Species Survival Plan, this program helps to ensure the healthy breeding population of endangered African penguins.

Click here to learn more about African penguins and the conservation efforts underway to help save the wild populations.




Animal Spotlight: Tyonek update

Back in October, we introduced you to Tyonek, a male beluga whale calf that was found orphaned in Western Cook Inlet, Alaska. Now after two months of around-the-clock care, we are proud to share that he is doing well! Tyonek continues to become stronger each day and has mastered the art of eating from a specially-crafted bottle catered to his needs. To date, Mystic Aquarium has sent five trainers to Seward, Alaska to assist with the care of Tyonek. It has been an awe-inspiring experience for each as they engage in the collaborative efforts to help make Tyonek strong and healthy.

To learn more about Tyonek's ongoing care, read our Beluga Rescue Collaboration blog here.


You Can Help


Did you know you can recycle your incandescent and LED holiday lights? In doing so, you'll help to prevent the toxins and electric cables from entering area landfills. Check with your local municipal recycling location to see if they collect old holiday lights or give your local Home Depot a call - they tend to offer a seasonal trade-in program where you can receive a discount on the purchase of new holiday lights in exchange for your old and damaged lights.




AppDownload our app!
Mystic Aquarium now has an app! Get directions, find events, navigate our campus, learn about encounters and more. Click here to download the app to your phone now.



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The mission of Mystic Aquarium is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through conservation, education and research.