11 Jackass Penguins Find a New Home at Uchi Zoo

【Financial News, Jeonnam-Gwangju = Hwang Tae-jong, reporter】Eleven jackass penguins, an internationally endangered species also known as ‘African penguins’ that live in warm waters off the coast of South Africa and whose population has declined by a staggering 97% over the past century, have found a new home at Uchi Zoo in Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City (Gwangju Special City).
 According to Gwangju Special City on the 12th, 11 jackass penguins that had been living at Seoul Children's Grand Park recently moved to Uchi Zoo.
 Adult jackass penguins are about 70 cm long and weigh around 3 kg, making them endearingly small. Their cute, waddling walk on short legs has made them popular with many people.
 Their population, which once numbered several million pairs, has declined by about 97% over the past century. They are also listed as a Class II species under CITES. Their extinction risk is so severe that they were upgraded to the ‘Critically Endangered (CR)’ category on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2024. 
 Seong Chang-min, head of the Uchi Park Management Office, explained, “Experts attribute the jackass penguins’ endangered status to dwindling food supplies due to human overfishing and to climate change, and say that ‘without proactive action, they could become completely extinct in the wild within the next 10 years.’”
 Uchi Zoo plans to use the arrival of 11 jackass penguins to let the public observe the animals’ ecology and characteristics up close and to increase interest in and understanding of endangered wildlife.
 The zoo also plans to create a living environment that takes animal health and welfare into account and use it as a hands-on learning space to promote the importance of wildlife conservation.
 Seong Chang-min, head of the Uchi Park Management Office, said, “I hope people will pay attention not only to how cute jackass penguins are, but also to the reality of the extinction threat they face,” adding, “I hope this arrival will be a valuable opportunity for the public to reflect on the importance of conserving biodiversity.”
[email protected] Hwang Tae-jong Reporter