TALLAHASSEE—Archibald, a four-year-old African penguin from the Florida Aquarium, visited the state capitol on Wednesday, appearing unperturbed by recent tariffs waged against his Australian brethren.
Archi was the youngest of four penguins brought by the Tampa-based Florida Aquarium to Tallahassee. He, along with Nuri, Enzi, and Dasson—the oldest traveler at 16 years old—visited the Senate Majority Office Wednesday morning in hopes of scoring funding for the aquarium to protect against high flooding.
"They're African penguins, so they're found in South Africa and Namibia," one of the trainers, Chrissy, told onlookers. "They're pretty similar climates to what we get here in Florida."
She added that while these penguins in the wild rarely live past 20 years old, they can live up to 40 years in captivity. She's also gotten no questions about President Donald Trump's unusual 10% tariffs on the Heard and McDonald Islands, a territory southwest of Australia rife with penguins and devoid of humans.
Australian trade minister Don Farrell told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the tariffs were "clearly a mistake," the BBC reported.
"Poor old penguins, I don't know what they did to Trump, but, look, I think it's an indication, to be honest with you, that this was a rushed process."
The Florida Aquarium is hoping to build a flood barrier and strengthen its infrastructure to shield animals from future winds and floods, particularly after it relocated many of the animals ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Florida Politics reported that Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, whose House District 65 includes the Aquarium, is asking for $1 million to cover part of the $15 million storm and flood protection project.
