Hop along! Penguins enjoy wandering around their aquarium in Cape Town

March 19th, 2020 All post

Footage has surfaced of a group of penguins hopping down a flight of stairs in their Cape Town aquarium.

The video shows a colony of African penguins and some rescued rockhopper penguins allowed to roam freely outside their enclosure.

The adorable birds bounce down two flights of stairs, with very few slip ups.

As the penguins round the corner, they prepare to hop down the steps, outside of their enclosure, in Cape Town

One brave bird takes the first leap, clearing two steps as it does, while the others check out the distance at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town

The rest of the gang get into their stride and then there’s no stopping the colony from bounding down the aquarium steps in Cape Town

The video, originally posted in 2019, was released by Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, who announced yesterday that they were going to have to close due to fears about the coronavirus disease.

In a statement on Tuesday, CEO of Two Oceans, Michael Farquhar, said the current lock down would be the first time the facility had shut its doors since Christmas Day in 1996.

The footage, which has been liked 400k times, was posted just days after Edward and Annie, two bonded rockhopper penguins living at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, became unlikely viral stars.

A bit of a hold up as some penguins congregate on the middle step but others bound on to the landing at the aquarium in Cape Town

One rockhopper penguin, nearing the end of the flight, prepares to land on the step at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town

Staff at the tourist attraction shared a Facebook video of the two birds roaming freely around the facility, which was shut down to the public on Friday.

In the adorable clip, which has racked up more than 1.6 million views, the two birds are seen waddling past several different exhibitions, viewing some of the fish in their tanks, and even strutting through the aquarium’s main entrance.

‘This morning, Edward and Annie explored the rotunda,’ the caption on the video explained.

Roaming free: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has shared an adorable video of penguins roaming around the building, which was closed on Friday in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak

‘They are a bonded pair of rockhopper penguins, which means they are together for nesting season. Every spring is nesting season for the penguins here at Shedd, and this year is no different!’

In the clip, the two birds are seen happily wandering around the empty building, remaining close together during their exploration, which saw them being given a chance to meet several of the other forms of wildlife living in the aquarium with them.

‘Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals, introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviors,’ a spokesperson for the Shedd told the Chicago Tribune.

The happy video sparked an outpouring of sweet comments from viewers, with many people thanking the aquarium staffers for providing them with some light relief during these troubling and fearful times.

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