Kuwait, 21 December 2010: The eight African penguins at the Scientific Center celebrated the start of a second year in Kuwait, with the support of a grant offered by ExxonMobil that was announced today.

The announcement was made at the Kuwait Scientific Center, in the attendance of Mr. Robert Franklin, ExxonMobil Upstream Ventures President, Dr. John Hoholick, ExxonMobil Kuwait President, and Mr. Mijbil Almutawa, the Scientific Center's Chairman and Managing Director.

The Penguins have brought excitement and smiles to thousands of children and their families since they first came to Kuwait in July 2009.

"We are very excited, as I am sure the rest of Kuwait is, about celebrating the extension of the African Penguins exhibit. The penguins have been a great source of inspiration for students, families, and the public as a whole. We are glad to have ExxonMobil's support for another year. I invite the public, especially schools, to come experience this rare opportunity to see penguins in Kuwait," said Mijbil Almutawa, the Scientific Center's Chairman and Managing Director.

The eight African Penguins comprise four male and four female penguins, and are aged between three and four years old. The penguins are medium sized birds, who are about 60-70 cm tall and weigh up to 3.5 kilograms.  Their environment's temperature is about 22 degree Celsius, close to their homeland, in South Africa.

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Kuwait Limited (ExxonMobil Kuwait) President, Dr. John Hoholick, said: "We are glad to have had a role in supporting this extremely rare, educational exhibit in Kuwait. The penguins are amazing wildlife treasures that continue to bring joy and inspiration to children and families who visit the exhibit from across Kuwait."

ExxonMobil is an active supporter of wild-life preservation, with activities and education programs across the world.

In addition to the Penguin exhibit, ExxonMobil is also co-founder of the annual Kuwait Science Fair competition.  It was launched in 2008, and is Kuwait's largest math and science competition encompassing over 200 schools. The company also organizes yearly educational trips for students in Kuwait, and for the last three years, more than 50 students have visited ExxonMobil projects in both Qatar and the United Kingdom. 

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© Press Release 2010