Endangered African penguin chick hatches at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo
By Adam Harrington
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — An endangered African penguin chick recently hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo just in time for the holiday season.
In a news release issued Thursday, the zoo reported the healthy chick hatched Oct. 1 after a 40-day incubation period. The penguin chick is hitting early developmental milestones on schedule and is being closely monitored by animal care and veterinary staff at the zoo.
The zoo said the sex of the penguin chick has not been determined.
The chick’s egg was laid by African penguin Rosie and her partner Cecil as part of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan, a population management effort set up among members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Cecil and Rosie have not been so great at raising penguin chicks in the past, so another pair of penguins, Liam and Maria, will raise the chick, the zoo said.
The zoo emphasized that African penguins are critically endangered.
“As a critically endangered species, each new African penguin chick represents an immense amount of hope for the species’ future. It’s a true testament to the collective work being done by zoos, field researchers, and conservationists worldwide to turn the tide for African penguins,” Lincoln Park Zoo Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Nicole Finch-Mason said in a news release. “It’s been great to see Liam and Maria rise to the occasion as fosters, giving them a chance to experience parenthood regardless of their genetics.”
The chick will continue to reach developmental milestones behind the scenes, and the care team hopes the baby bird will explore outside its nest box soon. The penguin chick weighed 4.23 pounds at its most recent exam, the zoo said.
It will be a few weeks from before the penguin chick will join the African penguin colony at Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove. The bird must first fledge and start to swim, the zoo said.
The zoo is asking the public for naming suggestions for the penguin chick.
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