It takes a village to raise a child, but apparently it takes just one penguin to create that village. The Maryland Zoo’s “Mr. Greedy” died this week after fathering 230 penguins and helping to rebuild the species’ population in zoos across North America, officials said in a news release.
At 33, “Mr. Greedy” was the zoo’s oldest penguin, far exceeding the average age of 18. He lived long enough to see five generations of offspring produced through the zoo’s African Penguin Species Survival Plan.
Maryland Zoo
“This bird played a critical role in the survival of African penguins around the world,” said Jen Kottyan, curator of birds at the Maryland Zoo. “It’s hard to lose an animal that was such a beloved presence at our zoo for three decades, but we are all proud that it has survived five generations of descendants.”
“Mr. Greedy” mated with a female penguin known as “Mrs. Greedy” two years after they arrived at the zoo in 1992.
“They had been a couple since they reached breeding age in 1994,” Kottyan said.
The zoo said they were a lifelong pair. They are closely monitoring “Ms Greedy’s” reaction and behavior after her death and will pair her with a single male penguin if she shows interest in companionship.
Late last month, Sphen, one half of the world’s most famous gay penguin couple, deceased in Australia, leaving behind his partner Magic. Aquarium staff said they took Magic to see Sphen’s body so he could understand that “his partner was not coming back.”
The Maryland Zoo said it is home to one of the largest colonies of African penguins in North America and has successfully raised more than 1,000 chicks. There are about 10,000 breeding pairs left in the world, and the endangered African penguin is facing extinction by 2035.
Maryland Zoo
