Birders’ Night: Waddle We Do Without Penguins?

Patty McGill will talk about the conservation status of penguins that live at lower latitudes and challenges they face.  Of these species, she will emphasize African penguins, found in South Africa and Namibia.  Last fall, African penguins were declared Critically Endangered and they could be extinct in the wild in by 2035.  Patty serves as the Program Leader for a group of zoos and aquariums focused on saving African penguins, and Patty will tell us about the array of projects the team leads and/or supports; these projects are focused on the most urgent and important conservation priorities.

Background:

Dr. Patty McGill received her PhD from Cornell University, where she studied competition among species of gulls and also other species of seabirds.  She spent most of her career working in AZA accredited zoos, in animal (bird) care and conservation.  She led the program to manage Humboldt penguins in zoos–and from there began to work with colleagues in South America on conservation & research projects on these penguins.  In one way or another Patty has worked with Humboldt penguins for 40 years, and has been working with African penguins for about 10 years.