African Penguin

The Little Rock zoo is home to 16 penguins; 6 of those 10 penguins were born at the Little Rock zoo. These little waddlers, who come from a warm climate along Africa's southwestern coast and islands, will settle into their home at Penguin Pointe, which boast a lifelike African beach shoreline made of gunite concrete and rebar. This realistic setting is very important because these penguins are vulnerable to extinction; the simulation of their natural habitat will aid in the zoo's breeding efforts.

Other amenities include a heated pool and replica rock bluffs mimicking their African home and nesting area – a virtual penguin paradise. 

African penguins, like most other penguin species, are endangered in the wild. Oil spills, historical hunting, and destruction of their habitat have killed 80% of the population in the last 50 years. Right now, the greatest source of their troubles comes from a catastrophic drop in the number of sardines as a result of overfishing and changing ocean climate.