Guest guest Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/12/17/nation/6931810 & sec=nation ________________________ Wednesday December 17, 2003 20 penguins ‘migrate’ to Langkawi BY NG SU-ANN LANGKAWI: The penguins are here! Twenty South Polar birds have “migrated” to their new home at Underwater World Langkawi. These wild sub-Antarctic birds of the Rockhopper species flew 20 hours on Malaysia Airlines from Johannesburg and arrived at the KL International Airport at 6.30am yesterday. They were flown here three hours later and transported to Underwater World in an ice-cream truck. Costing RM26,600 each, the penguins were acquired through a supplier from Nightingale Island, some 2,000km west of South Africa. The adult three-year-olds were released into the quarantine room yesterday, where the temperature was initially set at 15°C before being gradually lowered to 8°C. Standing 60cm tall and weighing 4kg each, these yellow-crested penguins were surprisingly friendly and easily adapted to their environment despite being born in the wild. They would be among the main highlights of Underwater World’s RM30mil project featuring sub-Antarctic, temperate and tropical rainforest ecosystems. A brainchild of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the project, which started in April and is 30% completed, involves the building of a new facility to complement Underwater World’s existing complex. “This is indeed a historic and exciting day for us. We are confident that this facility is poised to be a world-class centre for education and research in this region. “Once the new facility is completed, the penguins will be showcased in one of our two penguinariums,” Underwater World general manager Tanzil Md Noor Tanzil said in an interview. He said the next batch of penguins to be brought in would be Blackfoot penguins, a tropical species. “These birds will occupy the other penguinarium, which features an underwater tunnel for visitors to view swimming penguins and fishes. “This habitat will be specially landscaped with nesting burrows and artificial rocks made from fibreglass. Penguins here will even have waterfowl birds to keep them company,” he added. According to aquarium consultant Khoo Teng Chye, before the Rockhoppers’ arrival, the only birds at Underwater World were two macaws. “It is our dream and vision to produce the first Malaysian-bred penguins within two years,” he added. Project consultant architect Dr Tan Boon Hock said temperatures at the two penguinariums would be set at 8°C and 18°C to make the sub-Antarctic and tropical penguins feel at home. He added that an igloo-like structure would be situated at the entrance to the viewing tunnel. The new double-storey building, with an area of 5,000 sq metres, is expected to open its doors to the public by June. Other exhibits may include seals, anacondas, sloths, primates, capybaras and jays. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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