Social media fame came later in life for one of the internet’s favorite animals, Shedd resident and rockhopper penguin Wellington. The viral video star that rose to fame in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic celebrated a milestone birthday — 35 years old — on December 20, 2022, more than double the life expectancy of his species in the wild.
Wellington is one of two remaining members of Shedd’s original rockhopper colony, along with 35-year-old Magdelena. After hatching in 1987 and spending his first few years at another institution, Wellington arrived at Shedd in March 1991, a month before the new Abbott Oceanarium opened to the public.
Throughout his long lifespan, Wellington has been an incredible ambassador for penguin species, delighting, educating and inspiring millions of people from around the world to conserve and protect penguins across the globe. While caring for Wellington at the aquarium, members of Shedd's animal care team have also taken what they've learned from him, shared their knowledge and expertise and contributed to world-wide conservation efforts to save penguin species and populations in need.
Today, join us in remembering historic milestones that have occurred since 1987, all while Wellington was becoming one of the longest-lived penguins in Shedd’s history.
- Seven U.S. Presidents have taken office
- 18 Olympic Games have occurred
- Apple has released 34 models of the iPhone
- The U.S. and 23 other countries signed the Montreal Protocol to repair the Earth’s ozone layer (1987)
- “Seinfeld” debuted on NBC (1989)
- Wellington arrived at Shedd (1991)
- The World Wide Web was introduced to the public (1991)
- McDonalds “super-sized” its menu (1992)
- Amazon was founded (1994)
- Gray wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park (1995)
In one of many "Where's Wellington?" penguin field trips of 2020, Wellington meets the belugas while Shedd was closed to the public.
- Two of Wellington’s offspring hatched at Shedd, Edward (1996) and Bosco (1997)
- The Google search engine launched (1998)
- Shedd’s Wild Reef exhibit opened to the public (2003)
- Facebook launched as TheFacebook (2004)
- The Chicago White Sox won their first World Series in 88 years (2005)
- Pluto was demoted to a “dwarf planet” (2006)
- Broadway in Chicago was formed (2008)
- Shedd’s Polar Play Zone opened to the public (2009)
- “Avatar” became the highest-grossing film of all time (2009)
- Prince William married Kate Middleton (2011)
- Shedd’s Jellies special exhibit opened to the public (2011)
- 195 countries adopted The Paris Agreement (2015)
- Shedd’s Amphibians special exhibit opened to the public (2015)
- The Chicago Cubs won the World Series after 108 years (2016)
- The Chicago Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup Championship in six years (2016)
- Shedd's Animal Response Team traveled for the fourth time to Cape Town to rehabilitate African penguin chicks, supporting the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program (2016)
- Shedd’s Underwater Beauty special exhibit opened to the public (2018)
- “Where’s Wellington?” went viral on Shedd’s social media accounts, featuring rockhopper penguins Wellington, Edward and Annie on “field trips” while the aquarium was closed to the public (2020)
- The Chicago Sky won their first WNBA Championship (2021)
- Shedd announced our transformational Centennial Commitment looking toward our 100th anniversary in 2030 (2022)
- Animal care team members traveled to Patagonia to assist in monumental research on penguin guano. Work continues in Shedd's Molecular and Microbial Ecology Lab. The findings could influence global penguin conservation. (2022)
- Wellington turned 35 years old! (2022)
Happy Birthday, Wellington! At his advanced age, Wellington still navigates the rocky terrain of the penguin habitat well, hopping as rockhoppers do from rock to rock and plunging into the water feet first.
His caretakers describe Wellington as "a pretty laid-back, easygoing little penguin," who seems to prefer to be fed capelin on a team member's lap. He engages most with ice enrichment and often carries it to his nest. He also chooses to participate in penguin encounters where guests can engage with him as they learn about rockhoppers. You can identify Wellington by the purple and orange bands on his wing, labelled so our animal care team can tell the penguins apart. You might spot him standing in the waterfall.
Every day, Wellington teaches people about the importance and urgency of penguin conservation. All penguin species face threats of habitat degradation, overfishing, incidental mortality in fishing nets, pollution and climate change.
But you can help! Celebrate Wellington and support all penguins with a visit, membership or a donation that can contribute to our work to achieve a world thriving with aquatic life, sustained by people who love, understand and protect it. And learn more about Shedd’s Magellanic and rockhopper penguin colony in Polar Play Zone.