February 10, 2022 – With the Super Bowl days away, Ripley’s Aquariums MVP – most valuable penguin – Fleury, has made her prediction. The four-year-old African penguin has placed all bets on the Cincinnati Bengals.

WATCH ON FACEBOOK: Click to watch!

Last year, Fleury predicted the Kansas City Chiefs would take the title. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers securing their second-ever Super Bowl victory 31-9, Fleury has something to prove.

“Out to redeem herself after last year’s pick, we were shocked when Fleury selected the underdog Bengals, but Cincinnati is much closer to her Gatlinburg home at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies,” said Ryan DeSear, Vice President US Operations.

Fans on social media agree with Fleury’s choice. In a recent poll, Ripley’s followers strongly favored the Cincinnati Bengals.

Colonies of African penguins can be found at both Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. To learn more, about Ripley’s Aquariums visit www.ripleyaquariums.com.

Sabrina Sieck
Creative Content Manager
sieck@ripleys.com
(407) 450 – 1516

About Ripley Entertainment
Built on the foundation of a daily newspaper cartoon in 1918 — still in print today — Ripley Entertainment has grown to be a world leader in family entertainment, expanding to include more than 100 attractions in 10 countries around the world. Along with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, Guinness World Records Attractions, Aquariums, WaxWorks, traveling shows, and miniature golf, the world of Ripley’s continues to grow through exciting new experiences, content, and books for all ages. Learn more about Ripley’s Believe It or Not! by visiting Ripleys.com and following on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

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African Penguins Arrive as Part of the Largest Expansion in Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach’s 20-year History!

Myrtle Beach, SC (March 10, 2020) – Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach is excited to announce Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse is now open!

The 5,500-square-foot expansion is the largest in Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach’s 20-year history. The African penguin habitat has floor-to-ceiling viewing glass and a 360-degree crawl tunnel for guests to waddle through. This addition also includes a brand-new Ocean Wonders gallery housing fascinating species of fish from all over the world.

Sporting their black-and-white plumage, the African penguin is the only species of penguin found on the African continent, preferring warmer water temperatures unlike their Antarctic counterparts. Their unique black stripes and spots serve as their identification, similar to a human fingerprint.

The African penguin is one of the most endangered penguins in the world—numbers have declined by 60 percent in the last 28 years. Welcoming Ripley’s new colony in 2020 is just the beginning of the Aquarium’s conservation efforts, as an on-site penguin nursery will house and care for baby penguins, helping Ripley’s Aquarium foster a growing flock.

Ripley’s expansion features two new state-of-the-art classrooms for educational programs, school groups, and unique experiences that will allow guests to get up close and personal with these extraordinary birds.

UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

Penguin Encounters – Interact—and even pet—Ripley’s most adorable creatures beak-to-beak while learning about this species from Aquarium staff experts.

Paint with the Penguins – Pal up with a penguin to create—and take home—a one-of-a-kind piece of footprint art!

“We are beyond excited to welcome African Black Footed penguins to Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. This brand-new and completely immersive penguin habitat will not only captivate and entertain our guests but also provide an educational experience for our visitors. We know this new penguin addition will support our educational and conservation missions while offering family-friendly entertainment for visitors of all ages,” said Pablo Chavez, General Manager, Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach.

SAVAGE SEAS!

Tales of adventure, myth, and ruin, this temporary, pop-up exhibit is officially open just in time for guests to enjoy alongside the all-new Penguin Playhouse.

Savage Seas is an all-new exhibit, where guests learn life at sea isn’t for everyone! Find out what it takes to survive on the open waters when you explore this interactive exhibit.

Learn about daily pirate life, sea monsters from myth and lore, and the very true stories of shipwrecks filled with treasure and secrets of the past.

Ripley’s Aquarium is located at 110 Celebrity Circle at Broadway at the Beach and is open 365 days a year.

For media images and video, please click here.

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MEDIA CONTACTS
Pablo Chavez
General Manager
Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
Pchavez@ripleys.com
Office: 843-424-4590

Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment
smagala@ripleys.com
Office: 407-345-8010 Cell: 727-439-0136

About Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
Ripley’s Aquarium opened in Myrtle Beach in 1997 and boasts more than 14,000 fish on display as well as many interactive experiences. Guests can pet a stingray, bamboo shark, hold a horseshoe crab, and enjoy hourly dive shows. One featured exhibit is the 750,000-gallon Dangerous Reef, which has a 330-foot glidepath through an underwater tunnel, allowing guests to come face-to-face with sharks, giant sawfish, and Gabby the Green Sea Turtle.Ripley’s Aquariums are part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 15 million people visit its 100-plus attractions in 11 countries each year.  In addition to its three world-renowned aquariums and 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! Television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in countries around the world. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the second-largest privately held company in Canada. Learn more about Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach by visiting RipleyAquariums.com/MyrtleBeach and following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Gatlinburg, TN (February 26, 2018) Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is celebrating the historical birth of three African black-footed baby penguins.

Haley and Glen are the proud parents to two baby penguins, weighing in at 63 grams and 61 grams. The third penguin, weighing in at 60 grams, was born to proud parents Nick and Doza.

The baby penguins are doing well and are being monitored around the clock by the experienced Ripley Husbandry team.

“We are excited about the births of these new baby penguins. It is a historical event at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies any time a baby penguin is born. Any birth is a beautiful thing here at the aquarium, but the birth of an endangered animal is truly spectacular. Best of all, the babies are ridiculously cute,” said Ryan DeSear, Regional Manager of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

In Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse, burrowed nesting boxes and mud holes have been built into the rocky habitat for nest building. In the wild, mature birds lay two eggs in the nest, which is protected from the sun and most predators, and both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks for two to four months. African penguins breed in huge, noisy colonies and the mating pair stays together in a tight bond for their entire life.

African penguins are considered “Endangered” which means they are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Major reasons include depletion of their food from overfishing and pollution. Since 1930, the African penguin population has dropped from an estimated one million down to 55,000.

Names Needed!

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies wants your help in naming the new baby penguins. They are taking submissions on their website until March 4, 2018. Once the top names are collected, they will hold a voting contest starting on March 7, 2018, to name the new baby penguins.

Visit RipleysAquariumOfTheSmokies.com to submit your names!

In 2010, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies added African Black-Footed Penguins as a part of the $5 million Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse. The exhibit was named one of the 10 best places to see Penguins by 10Best.com, a division of USA Today Travel.

Quote by 10Best.com: “Penguin Playhouse at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg might be the world’s best penguin exhibits. The $5 million project includes indoor and outdoor exhibit with innovative viewing options. Crawl through transparent tunnels to see the birds from below or pop-up to see them nose to beak,”

The aquarium is located at traffic light #5 on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and is open 365 days a year. For information: call 888-240-1358 or see us on the web at www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com.

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ABOUT RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF THE SMOKIES

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and Ripley’s / Guinness Attractions in Tennessee are owned by Ripley Entertainment Inc., keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Brand and a global leader in location-based family entertainment. More than 14 million guests visit in over 100 worldwide attractions in 11 countries annually. The Orlando-based company also has divisions that oversee publishing, licensing and broadcast operations.  Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Group Company, the second-largest privately held company in Canada.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, the second most visited attraction in Tennessee, was voted the number one aquarium in the nation by USA Today10Best.com, one of the Top 5 Aquariums in the USA & the world by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice in 2014 & 2015, Top Destination to See Penguins by USA Today and Forbes Traveler named it one of the America’s Best Aquariums. Thousands of exotic sea creatures live in its 1.4 million gallons of water. The aquarium is known for its amazing shark exhibit that features 11-foot sharks and one of the most spectacular underwater tunnels in the world.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
O: 407-345-8010 C: 727-439-0136
smagala@ripleys.com

Dee Lundy
LundyThomas
Phone: 865-755-2128 | Fax: 865-522-7821
lundy@ripleys.com

The post Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Celebrates Birth of Baby Penguins appeared first on Ripley Entertainment Inc.

“The new baby brother penguins are Benny Hill born on February 17 weighing in at 52 grams and Falkor born on February 21 weighing in at 62 grams. The proud parents are Maggie and Atreyu. The Ripley Husbandry Team is monitoring them around the clock,” said Megan Klose, senior aviculturist of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

View footage of the penguins here!

African penguins are considered “Endangered” which means they are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Major reasons include depletion of their food from overfishing and pollution. Since 1930, the African Penguin population has dropped from an estimated one million to 55,000.

World Penguin Day is a day when penguins are honored across the world and is one of 2 days dedicated to adorable penguins along with January 20 which is Penguin Awareness Day and October 8 which is African Penguin Awareness Day

“What a great day to honor our new baby penguins on World Penguin Day.” said Ryan DeSear, general manager of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

In 2010, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies added African Black-Footed Penguins as a part of its $5 million Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies continues their efforts and support of the African Black footed Penguin as a part of the Species Survival Plan of the Association of the Zoos and Aquariums. They also support (SANCCOB) the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, which is a non-profit seabird rehabilitation center that helps rebuild habitats in South Africa.

Penguin Artwork can be purchased in the Cargo Hold Gift shop at Ripley Aquarium of the Smokies. 50% of the money from the sales of the artwork is donated to SANCCOB. For more information on SANCCOB go to: www.sanccob.co.za.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, the second most visited attraction in Tennessee, has been voted Number one Aquarium in the nation by USA Today 10Best.com., one of the Top 5 Aquariums in the USA & the world by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice in 2014 & 2015, Top Destination to See Penguins by USA Today and Forbes Traveler named it one of the America’s Best Aquariums. Thousands of exotic sea creatures live in its 1.4 million gallons of water. The aquarium is known for its amazing shark exhibit that features 11-foot sharks and one of the most spectacular underwater tunnels in the world.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and Ripley’s Attractions in Tennessee are owned by Ripley Entertainment Inc., keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not!  Brand and global leader in location-based family entertainment. More than 13 million guests visit its 95 worldwide attractions in 11 countries annually. The Orlando-based company also has divisions that oversee publishing, licensing, and broadcast operations. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Group Company, the second-largest privately held company in Canada.

The aquarium is located at traffic light #5 on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and is open 365 days a year. For information: call 888-240-1358 or see us on the web at www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com

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