17 Penguins at Riga Zoo

It has finally happened - penguins have arrived in Latvia, specifically at Riga Zoo, albeit for a short period, passing through, so to speak. They have come from Edinburgh Zoo (United Kingdom) to spend a 3-week quarantine period here before departing from the European Union to an aquarium in China.

As Riga Zoo informs, visitors will be able to see these gentoo penguins - the third largest in the world - every day from 9 August at 13:00 until 30 August.

A Brief History of Penguins in Latvia

In previous decades, penguins of various species have been on display at Riga Zoological Garden for short periods. Before the war, in 1936, Riga Zoo received a gift from the Norwegian consul and polar explorer - a pair of rockhopper penguins, which did not survive the warm Latvian summer, but in 1962 Riga residents were able to see a group of more than 30 penguins for about a month.

Gentoo, Magellanic and rockhopper penguins stayed in Riga before filming the movie "The Unusual City". In 1985, sailors handed over one penguin to Riga Zoo, which was soon transferred to the Lithuanian Sea Museum in Klaipėda and became the "founding father" of a sizeable penguin family.

Source: rigazoo.lv