Have you ever thought about how difficult it must be to do something if hardly any one else can do it? Olympic athletes compete among the elite and talented few. Astronauts have specialties few others have and only a handful of those have actually walked on the moon. SeaWorld aviculturists have successfully raised emperor and other species of penguins, which has not been done outside the Antarctic wild anywhere else in the world! These things impress me. What does it take to accomplish things that have never been done before? It takes conviction that it can be achieved, knowledge about how to do it, skill to realize the "so far" unattainable, and determination to continue through disappointment. This is exactly what SeaWorld's bird department has.

Thirty years ago, it was unheard of to even attempt to care for and display cold weather penguin species like emperors, Adelies and chinstraps. Well before our Penguin Encounter opened at SeaWorld in San Diego, strategy was in place to closely replicate not only the physical environment of the penguins, but also the light cycles (opposite of our northern hemisphere of course), nesting material access and social requirements. During each species' breeding season, you can observe the particular specialized behaviors each perform to select prime nest locations, "impress" potential mates, and prepare to raise chicks.