Introducing Pearl, SeaWorld San Diego’s new baby penguin
Pearl, a baby Emperor Penguin, makes her SeaWorld San Diego debut in two new behind-the-scenes tours ahead of her early 2024 introduction to all guests in the park’s Penguin Encounter viewing area.
Trigger warning: This story contains photos of the moment Pearl hatched. Discretion advised for readers sensitive to visuals with blood.
Pearl was born at SeaWorld San Diego on Sept. 12, 2023, making her the park’s first chick hatchling since 2010. Guests named the newborn. In a vote of 29,000 guests, “Pearl” received over 14,000 picks on the ballot.
Pearl Will Join Penguin Encounter in Early 2024
Team members currently are caring for the baby penguin backstage. She’ll join the colony at Penguin Encounter in early 2024, at which point all guests will be able to see her. In total, Penguin Encounter includes 17 Emperor Penguins, 300 other penguins, and 60 puffins and murres. They reside in an arctic habitat set to a cool 25 degrees.
See Pearl Now in New Backstage Tours
To see Pearl before her public debut in early 2024, guests can sign up for one of two new behind-the-scenes tours.
The “Ultimate On-Ice Penguin Experience & Emperor Chick Viewing” starts at $199. Guests will get to see baby penguin Pearl, as well as six other kinds of penguins. They’ll also step into the Penguin Encounter habitat, walking on snow among the animals (jackets and boots provided). Guests must be at least 50″ tall for this tour.
During the “Penguin Up-Close Tour & Emperor Chick Viewing,” which starts at $94, guests will see Pearl and visit with one other penguin. Guests must be at least six years old for this experience.
SeaWorld San Diego park admission is required and not included in either tour’s price. 10% of the tours’ ticket sales benefit penguin conservation efforts.
“We have been amazed by the outpouring of excitement around Pearl’s hatching and cannot wait for guests to be able to see her and follow her journey as she matures,” said Eric Otjen, head of zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego. “This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people given the rarity of the species, so these new limited-time viewings are something extremely special.”
Regardless of if you partake in the new tours, SeaWorld personnel says the best viewing times for Penguin Encounter are between 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. All guests can also listen to aviculturalist talks and see penguin feedings at Penguin Encounter. Consult the park’s daily schedule for presentation times during your visit.
Trigger warning: Following are photos of the moment Pearl hatched. Discretion advised for readers sensitive to visuals with blood.
The SeaWorld animal care team helped Pearl hatch:
Pearl Belongs to an Endangered Species
Emperor penguins fall under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. That government program “establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered,” as described by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
“We are always looking for new ways to educate our guests on the importance of emperor penguins and to help them understand just how specially adapted emperor penguins are for the extreme conditions of the Antarctic environment,” said Otjen. “We are uniquely able to do that because SeaWorld San Diego is the only zoo in the Western Hemisphere where this important species can be seen.”
Learn more and purchase tickets to “Ultimate On-Ice Penguin Experience & Emperor Chick Viewing” or “Penguin Up-Close Tour & Emperor Chick Viewing” here.
Major Changes for a Different SeaWorld Penguin Habitat
2024 will be an exciting year for penguins at SeaWorld, coast to coast. In spring 2024, a new family coaster called Penguin Trek will open at SeaWorld Orlando. The ride will venture outdoors and indoors, concluding in the park’s penguin habitat.
Penguin Trek will partially reside in the space once home to the now-defunct Empire of the Penguin trackless ride.
