This year for Christmas my wife and I decided to gift each other an experience rather than things. I love this idea and one thing I am striving for this year: less consumption more doing. I came across an ad for a penguin meet and greet at the Sheet Aquarium. My wife loves otters and penguins so it was perfect! She was ecstatic to hear her about her gift. We headed down to Chicago on December 29th excited for our penguin encounter.

Upon arrival at the Shedd I couldn't believe the amount of people. If you go over the winter holiday season, you should definitely book your tickets in advance to avoid the lines. For some reason none of the staff seemed to know where to go for the encounter. It was a complete cluster of confusion. Eventually we found a staff member who guided us to the check in located in a side room. We checked in and had about an hour to explore the Shedd before it was our turn. I have mixed emotions when it comes to zoos and aquariums. On one hand its awesome and educational to be able to see these amazing creatures up close. On the other hand it is an exercise in patience with how irritating and stupid humans can be. Watching loud, obnoxious humans tap on the glass of exhibits and make uneducated comments really grinds my gears. The amount of people packed in the exhibits and small children without an adult at hand definitely caused a spike in anxiety for my wife and I.

As we walked through the various exhibits my mood lightened. We made our way through the Amazon exhibit, and I was really impressed with the layout and variety of animals. We then looped around the building seeing a diver in the tank swim around with a stingray which was incredible. It was also nice to see the sea life art made out of recycled objects including old water bottles and other debris found on beaches in Oregon.

Making our way back to the side room, we were greeted by Shedd staff members who gave us background on the museum. We walked down stairs to a small room where the penguin encounter would take place. One awesome fact that I did not know is the original stone on the main floor in the entrance to the museum has actual fossils in it. We changed into large rubber boots because penguins poop every 10 minutes and can get messy. We were briefed on how to greet the penguin. Sitting in a circle the 8 of us had to keep our feet still and hands to ourselves, as the penguins are easily distracted by movement. The door opened, and the trainer came in with a penguin in her arms. She introduced us to Georgia, a Magellanic penguin, who was immediately fed a large herring as she sat on the trainer’s lap joining our circle. The penguin seemed comfortable as it wobbled around. I was surprised to see that it could actually bend its flippers like small arms. We were told that penguin encounters benefit the penguins as enrichment. Each new person it meets is something new and novel. We learn that Georgia was George before laying an egg. Sexing of penguins typically isn’t known until an egg is or isn’t laid. Georgia made her way around checking everyone out and turning back to the trainer for more fish. Then the trainer went around one by one with Georgia on her lap, we were allowed to touch and pet her. I was ecstatic once it came to my turn. Her feathers were so soft; the layers felt like fur. I rubbed her side in a circular pattern, the trainer even laughed at how much Georgia was enjoying her pets. You could see how much the trainer cared about her and the other penguins as she spoke about different penguins by name and their personalities. It definitely gave me a whole new awareness of penguins. We all posed for pictures and said goodbye to Georgia as she headed back to the penguin exhibit. Money raised from this encounter goes towards Shedd’s efforts to help orphaned baby penguins in South Africa whose parents abandon them due to a lack of food. The orphaned penguins are adopted by the program which provides food and safety. When the penguins are old enough to take care of themselves, they are released back into their homes in the wild.

Following the penguin encounter we were given two tickets to watch an aquatic presentation which included dolphins, sea lions, and penguins. I was hesitant and apprehensive to watch this. The large crowd of people packing into the amphitheater with adjoining pool was overwhelming. Seeing the beluga whales made me sad thinking that these intelligent creatures, capable of diving 2,800 feet, are confined to such a small space. I never was able to completely watch the full version of Blackfish, a documentary about the captivity of whales at Seaworld. Anyone can understand it is not mentally healthy for such a smart creature to be in such a tiny tank. I could tell the trainers have a great love for these creatures and the show does bring awareness and attention to this threatened species. At the same time, I look at these whales as the sacrificial lambs for humans entertainment. The aquatic presentation show itself was short and educational. It obviously used positive reinforcement, rewarding the animals with fish. Shedd Aquarium states that it does not force any animals to perform and rotates the animals who perform. It was similar to the show I saw previously at Shedd when I was in 5th grade.

Following the show we got lunch at the museum. My mind debated animal rights versus animal welfare in my head as I ate a vegetarian burrito. Shedd Aquarium does bring awareness of being cautious of the seafood you purchase. Supporting sustainable seafood options is critical for the future of all sea animals.

After lunch we checked out the playful sea otters and then moved on to the shark and ray exhibit below. These exhibits are new since the last time I was there. Near those tanks we were able to sea clownfish and seahorses. We finished with the relatively new amphibian exhibit. I absolutely love frogs and was impressed with the large variety of different colorful species. Overall it was an amazing day, but I think the future for zoos and aquariums should focus on species of animals that don't requires large habitats. Like frogs…