Kevin Blakely was the lead penguin zookeeper at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY for 10 years.  It was never a job for Kevin, it was a privilege and a dream of a lifetime.  This was Kevin’s second career and the career that meant the most to him.   He was able to be a part of the conservation of penguins and educate our communities on the importance of conservation and our environment.   A favorite quote of Kevin’s was from Richard Louv, an American author and journalist:

“We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see… and touch… and hear.”

Kevin hatched many penguin chicks during his 10 years, and four of those chicks became education ambassadors at the Seneca Park Zoo – his beloved Gizmo, Ikulu (Icky), Drumstick and Toad.  Kevin’s daily educational talks featured all the penguins; however, you could always find Gizmo on Kevin’s lap while the other three were trying to find a spot near or on Kevin.  

The bond Kevin had with his four buddies, especially Gizmo, caught the attention of the visitors and contributed to the power of his educational talks.  Kevin affectionately became known at the zoo and in our community as the “Penguin Guy” because of his talks and the visible bond and passion he had for the penguins.  Even outside of the zoo at supermarkets, restaurants, people would say, “Hey, aren’t you the Penguin Guy.”   

In December of 2019, Kevin received the gift of a lifetime being selected by Seneca Park Zoo to travel to South Africa to be a volunteer zookeeper at SANCCOB.  This experience reinforced the extreme importance of penguin conservation as he saw first-hand the impact of humans and environmental changes on the survival of African Penguins.  During his two weeks at SANCCOB, Kevin aided in feeding rescued chicks whose parents could not find enough fish in the oceans, penguins with missing limbs and saw the amazing impact of the work SANCCOB does when he participated in the release of several rehabilitated penguins back to the ocean.   Kevin brought this message back home through virtual presentations and his everyday talks at the zoo.  Kevin called upon his colleagues and friends of the zoo to contribute selected/needed supplies to SANCCOB – supplies he noted they needed while he was volunteering.  The response was overwhelming and meant so much to Kevin.

In July of 2023, just three months before Kevin’s passing, Kevin and Gizmo had the privilege of bringing the message of penguin conservation to our local minor league baseball park for Penguin Day.  Kevin and Gizmo threw out the first pitch of the game alongside Thurman Thomas of the Buffalo Bills.  Kevin lovingly carried Gizmo to the mound, Gizmo watched Kevin throw the pitch and together they waddled back to the sidelines.  A once in a lifetime for Kevin, his best buddy Gizmo, and the baseball fans.

Though Kevin’s time with us was far too short, he quietly and humbly left his footprints for all of us to follow, recognizing the importance of conservation and the environment.  Following is an excerpt from one of Kevin’s educational talks:

“What is the importance of zoos and aquariums?  In a few minutes you will go down to an indoor gallery and meet a couple of penguins up close.  You will fall in love with them and every time you think of penguins, you’ll think about the penguins you met, saw, heard, and got to know and from now on will want to protect and save them.”

In Kevin’s memory, let us all save some penguins.