Meet AP063

Meet AP063. . , On March 8, 2019, a Ranger with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) spotted a juvenile African penguin with a hard, plastic ring around its head. This curious young bird likely saw the ring floating at sea and mistook it for something to eat, causing the ring to slip over its head and get caught in its beak., The Ranger took the penguin, which came to be known as AP063, to a SANCCOB center where the ring was carefully removed by a veterinarian., AFter the plastic was removed, it took a week for the wounds around its beak to heal enough that AP063 could feed on fish again., After five weeks of rehabilitation to bring the bird back up to a healthy weight, AP063 was released back into the ocean., AP063 would not have survived if not for SANCCOB's rescue efforts, and for endangered species like African penguins, every life saved counts. We can all do our part to prevent situations like this by reducing our use of plastics, recycling what we can, and properly disposing of waste so it doesn't end up in our waterways., Saving Seabirds , The Zoo is proud to partner with SANCCOB in its efforts to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild African penguins and other seabirds that require human intervention to survive. SANCCOB treats 2,500 oiled, sick or injured seabirds each year. Learn more at www.sanccob.co.za., You can help! Book a behind-the-scenes experience with our penguins, and a portion of the funds will go directly to SANCCOB. Go to cincinnatizoo.org/plan-your-visit/behind-the-scenes-experience/ or call 475-6198.