The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago welcomed a couple of new feathered friends recently. Two African penguin chicks hatched on June 24 and 27!
One of the new African penguin chicks at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Photo credit: Lincoln Park Zoo.
Both eggs were laid by African penguin Luna with her partner Oliver as part of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to manage animal populations. One of the eggs was incubated by Luna and Oliver, and the other egg was given to TJ and Sunny, an older parent pair, to foster.
Weigh in time for one of the African penguin chicks! Photo credit: Lincoln Park Zoo.
“Having two healthy chicks has been really exciting, and we’ve loved watching them grow so far,” said Nicole Finch-Mason, Curator of Birds. “We’re so proud of new parents Luna and Oliver for successfully incubating and rearing their chick, and equally appreciative of TJ and Sunny for sharing their penguin parent expertise.”
Pair of African penguin chicks at Lincoln Park Zoo. Photo credit: Lincoln Park Zoo.
In the wild, African penguins live in colonies on the coast and islands of southern Africa. They are considered endangered by the IUCN. Their populations have been declining due to the loss of nesting places caused by guano removal as well as a decrease of food due to overfishing and pollution.
For more information about these African penguin chicks, visit the Lincoln Park Zoo website.
To learn more about African penguins, see our article, African Penguin.
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