Golfers hit the links for third annual ‘Pars for Penguins’ tournament

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- Golfers hit the links Monday morning for a good cause, helping the Mississippi Aquarium raise money for a penguin habitat.

The third annual Pars for Penguins tournament brought 29 teams to the Windance Golf and Country Club to raise funds for the Mississippi Aquarium’s penguin habitat. The habitat is designed to house up to 28 African penguins. Mississippi Aquarium Interim President/CEO Jeff Gibula said, “They’re highly endangered species. Estimates are they may go extinct in 2032 in the wild, so this is really important. The new habitat will have specialized state of the art lighting. We’ve been doing research with other institutions that have already used it, to give them what they need. It’ll have an underwater viewing area for guests to see the birds actually swim. It’s an amazing thing to see because the birds are much more majestic in the water than they are on land.”

The aquarium has a $40,000 goal for this event. The completed project is expected to take 12 to 18 months once construction begins.

Tournament winners were recognized with prizes, while the silent auction helped raise additional funds for the new habitat.