SAVE THE PENGUINS: Tulsa Zoo warns of African Penguins future in the wild [Video]

TULSA, Okla. — There’s no question that Tulsans love their penguins.

The statues you see around town were part of a huge fundraiser to build the Tulsa Zoo’s African Penguin exhibit more than two decades ago.

Tux the penguin, from the “Penguins on Parade” art project in Tulsa, Okla., is shown on display on deserted Oklahoma City street ,Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006. Heavy snow moved into Oklahoma Thursday morning after sleet and freezing rain left roads across Oklahoma slick and hazardous and shut down schools and many businesses and government offices. (AP Photo)

However, the zoo says there won’t be any left in the wild by 2035. This is because they are the first of 18 penguin species globally that meet the criteria for the critically endangered classification.

“This status change should be a wakeup call to the world,” said Tulsa Zoo Zoological Curator of Birds and WildLIFE Trek Beau …