How an ornithologist from Vladivostok helps PENGUINS go viral

‘Mother of Penguins’ is what Olga Demina named her vlog. A specialist at the Primorsky Aquarium, she works with more than 30 Humboldt penguins at a time and shares funny and amusing moments from the birds’ lives on social media.

“I’ve been working at the oceanarium for nine years now. Originally, I was hired as a tour guide, but when I got my biology degree, I went to work in my specialty. I really liked the birds,” she says. “But, I wanted to keep sharing interesting things with people –  so, in 2020, I started a blog and began posting videos.”

A day in the life of penguins

The 30 Humboldt penguins came to the Primorsky Aquarium from the Czech Republic in 2018. Unlike Antarctic penguins, this species lives on the coasts of Chile and Peru, rather than the ice. They adapt well to temperate climates.

Olga shows off their everyday lives: pairs, molting, chicks and funny moments. She says she simply observes the birds’ natural behavior.

Her colleagues support her passion: they help with filming and, as Olga says, they are very supportive of the vlog.

She seems to know everything about her little ones. When asked what penguins feel like to the touch, she replies: “They’re velvety. When a penguin is dry, its plumage is quite dense and it feels a bit like velour. They have very soft feathers.”

As for the smell, she says: “The birds don’t smell of anything after water and, besides, we clean up after them every day. But the little penguin chicks develop the smell of a wet dog after their first molt.” The thing is, chicks don’t bathe at first; they just sit in the nest.

Penguins & the camera

The penguins are calm during filming, but each bird has a different personality and character. “There are some that don’t especially seek contact and there are those that come up on their own and show interest. As a rule, these are still young birds that haven’t paired up yet. Later, their character may change; they become less interested in interacting with us and more focused on other penguins,” explains Olga.

The staff try to ensure the birds are adapted to the flock, but if a penguin itself comes into contact, they’re only happy about it. Filming makes it possible to capture their natural behavior. Depending on the season, the penguins are either looking for a mate, sitting on eggs or molting.

Olga says the penguins are calm during veterinary procedures and understand what weighing is. “Some of the penguins can even jump onto the scales by themselves,” she says, laughing.

For the aquarium’s 10th anniversary, an outdoor enclosure was set up for the most well-adapted penguins. Visitors could find out what they feel like and pet the birds – but it all depends on the animal’s mood. “At the same time, they later returned from outside down the stairs on their own. We just opened the door for them and they went home.”

Many penguins born at the aquarium are later sent to other aquariums all over the country.

“Everyone here has a name. Recently, the 69th penguin chick was born – they named her ‘Anastasia’. However, after they’re moved, some zoos and aquariums change their names,” Olga says.