Penguins at Riga Zoo

Following the famous New Year's address by then-Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis, in which he called on the Latvian people to huddle together like penguins to overcome hardship, this allegory caught on remarkably well among the public. Latvian society not only eagerly and hopefully began looking to the government, which had promised to reduce the threats of the crisis, but also to the possibility of seeing a live penguin in Latvia - specifically at Riga Zoo. After all, an indirect symbol of Latvia's economic situation, and every self-respecting citizen identified themselves with this flightless bird.

Unfortunately there are no penguins at Riga Zoo and, given the weak financial resources, there will not be any for some time. But had it always been this way (Godmanis must have seen those penguins somewhere in Latvia)?

The revelation came from a photograph accidentally found in the May issue of the magazine "Una", in which journalist Egils Zirnis is shown as a child beside an enclosure full of Humboldt penguins. Approximately this would have been in the 1960s–70s.

We sent an email to Riga Zoo asking them to shed light on the matter of penguins in Latvia. We received a reply from Māris Lielkalns, an employee of the Information and Education Department of Riga National Zoological Garden. It turns out that for a few years penguins were indeed on display for Zoo visitors, but they did not settle in particularly well. In the 1980s, sailors had brought in one more penguin, but it was pining alone in solitude and it was decided to hand it over to the Lithuanian zoo, as there were already representatives of its species there. "That lad then worked steadily and took good care of local "ladies" and their offspring..." (quote from the email)

Māris added that "at present there are no penguins at Riga Zoo. In the near future there won't be either, as first the right conditions must be arranged for the animal and only then can one think about bringing them here. Otherwise they will perish quickly and other zoos will look askance and consider us unreliable partners. The crisis has also put various plans on hold. Whatever thoughts about these birds may be floating around, when there is a real prospect of it happening, we will inform the public..." (quote from the email)

Thank you to him for the comment, as unfortunately there is not a single line on the internet about the history of Riga Zoo relating to penguins. As fans of this flightless bird, we welcome any information about these endearing waddlers.

Well then, let us wait for better times in Latvia, when it will be possible to provide housing and care for penguins right here at Riga Zoo. In the meantime, the nearest place in Latvia's vicinity in the Northern Hemisphere where one can encounter Humboldt penguins is the Sea Museum in Klaipėda, Lithuania.