John Ball Zoo’s penguins get yearly check-ups
John Ball Zoo’s penguins get yearly check-ups
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — It’s check-up day for some of John Ball Zoo’s cutest residents: The penguins got their annual wellness exams Thursday.
The zoo in Grand Rapids is closed for the season, but staff members are still working behind the scenes to take care of the animals. That includes the zoo’s colony of 24 Magellanic penguins.
“Every penguin gets a physical,” Dan Hemmann, a curator at the zoo, explained. “They get a visit by our vet.”
Penguins at John Ball Zoo get their annual physical. (Dec. 11, 2025)
Penguins at John Ball Zoo get their annual physical. (Dec. 11, 2025)
Penguins at John Ball Zoo get their annual physical. (Dec. 11, 2025)
The penguins’ beaks and nails are checked and their blood is drawn to make sure they’re healthy.
“The actual penguin part of it tends to take two or three hours,” Hemmann said, adding that the prep work makes it an “all-day affair” for staff members.
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