Displaced penguins saved by Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley

African penguins now residing at the Minnesota Zoo.

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African blackfooted penguins are endangered in the wild due to overfishing and oil spills. The 11 penguins had been kept at a North Dakota zoo but had to find new digs in June due to overflooding. The displaced penguins first got sent to the Como Zoo in St. Paul but now they're in Apple Valley, where the pools are deeper and the space is wider, allowing for more comfortable waddling.

The penguins got shipped off to Apple Valley about a month ago, and were held in quarantine by the zoo until it was safe to say that they wouldn't infect the other penguins with any diseases.

Now that they're free to move around, the penguins are enjoying their new home.

"They haven't had this much space nor this deep of a pool, so they're really curious as to the new space," says Kelly Lessard, spokeswoman for the zoo.

Unfortunately, the penguins will eventually need to return to North Dakota, but Lessard expects the tuxedo-wearing birds to remain in the Land of 10,000 Lakes for at least the next year.

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