🐧Waddle Into Action Weekend! February 21 & 22, 10am – 3pm powered by Xcel Energy

Join us for Waddle Into Action, a fun, family friendly conservation weekend celebrating Como’s beloved African penguins while connecting visitors to global efforts to protect these remarkable birds in the wild.

Waddle in for two days of engaging activities throughout the Zoo featuring fascinating penguin facts, zookeeper talks, interactive art, hands on games, and a make and take craft. Together, these experiences highlight the challenges African penguins face in the wild and the actions we can take to help prevent their extinction.

🕒 Event Schedule

Activity Stations
Open both days from 10:00 AM–3:00 PM

• Penguin Pebble Painting
• Interactive Art: Current Events
• Penguin Interpretive Station (Aquatics Building)
• Penguin Spot I.D. Game (Aquatics Building)
• Ocean-Noms Card Game
• Community Food & Supply Drive

Penguin Feedings
11:30 AM both days

Special Programs

Community Lunch & Learn
Saturday, February 21 | 12:00 PM
Auditorium
Presenter: Kelley Dinsmore, Aquatics Zookeeper
Please note, the content and format of the Community Lunch & Learn is specifically geared toward an adult audience.

Penguin Keeper Talk
Sunday, February 22 | 11:00 AM
Aquatics Building

🐧 Featured Activities

Penguin Pebble Painting

Did you know some penguin species gift pebbles to their partners? While African penguins don’t share this tradition, we love the idea of using pebbles as symbols of kindness and connection.

Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is partnering with MN Kindness Alliance and the Anoka Kindness Rock Garden to offer a penguin inspired rock painting activity. Guests are invited to paint one or more rocks with designs inspired by African penguins, conservation, kindness, and community.

Painted rocks will dry while you explore the Zoo and Conservatory and can be picked up before exiting the Visitor Center. Each rock includes a QR code linking to more information about African penguin conservation through our global partner, South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). Guests are encouraged to leave their finished Penguin Pebbles around the community for others to discover, enjoy, and learn from.

Como Friends Conservation Sponsorship
For every Penguin Pebble painted, Como Friends will donate $1 to SANCCOB, supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation of endangered African penguins.

Fueled by public participation, Como Friends is also purchasing boxes of fish, sponsoring African penguin eggs, and adopting penguins currently receiving medical care through SANCCOB to help cover food, medication, and essential care needed for their eventual release back into the wild.

Community Lunch & Learn*

An Ocean of Change: How Climate Change and Commercial Fishing Impact African Penguins

Join Aquatics Zookeeper Kelley Dinsmore for an in depth discussion on the dramatic decline of African penguins in the wild over the past 50 years. Learn how programs like AZA SAFE and SANCCOB are working to stabilize and reverse this trend, and hear firsthand about penguin conservation efforts in South Africa.

Bring your lunch, settle in, and get an inside look at caring for African penguins both in the wild and right here at Como.

*The content and format of the Community Lunch & Learn is specifically geared toward an adult audience.

Interactive Art: Current Events

How far would you travel to feed your family?

Artist Aaron Dysart’s immersive fabric sculpture tells the story of how climate change is shifting ocean currents—and fishy food supplies—of critically endangered African penguins, forcing them to travel farther from their home colonies to find food. Visitors will be invited to walk through the billowing fabric tunnel to find fish swimming within the shifting current.  

Community Food & Supply Drive Drive to benefit Neighborhood House

In the spirit of helping others access essential resources, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is hosting a Community Food & Supply Drive during Waddle into Action weekend. Donations will support Neighborhood House, a full-service hub for those seeking assistance with basic needs including food and household supplies. Neighborhood House is asking for these items: (items in bold are in highest demand): Top Needs

*Please note, Como will only be able to accept donations February 21-22, 10 AM – 3 PM.

Penguin Interpretive Station & Games

Observe penguin feathers and other remarkable biofacts. Take a crack at identifying Como’s penguins by their spots. Dress like a penguin and feel prepared to face the coldest Minnesota weather. Learn prodigious penguin particulars to impress your friends. Como’s knowledgeable interpretive staff and volunteers will be on hand all weekend, with special drop-in performances by members of Fresh Concepts, Macalester College’s student-run comedy improv group. Waddle on in!

Be sure to check out the world premiere of Ocean-Noms. Inspired by trading card games, Ocean-Noms introduces players to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program and encourages conservation minded choices, starting with sustainable seafood at home.

Special Guest: Xcel Energy
Our friends from Xcel Energy will be onsite with interactive fun for all ages, including a spinning wheel, a Connect 4 game, and a Reddy Kilowatt photo opportunity. Guests can also pick up a variety of giveaways while supplies last, including LED night lights, kids’ activity books, pens, eco friendly Swedish dishcloths made from recycled materials, and more.