We’re excited to share that there's a fluffy new addition to our African penguin flock! 🐧
On November 10, parents Wesson and Sinclair welcomed their first chick into the world! This hatching marks a lot of fun “firsts” to celebrate; first African penguin chick hatched at the Zoo in three years, first penguin chick in our new Pinnacol African Penguin Point habitat and first chick for breeding pair Wesson and Sinclair! Keepers noticed that this egg was extremely small compared to normal penguin eggs, so to give this adorable little penguin the best chance at survival, the egg was artificially incubated in our Avian Propagation Center while Wesson and Sinclair sat on a fake egg. Their little one was also smaller than anticipated upon hatching, but we’re happy to report that this chick is growing like a weed and is now right on track developmentally! All three members of this new family are doing well and Wesson and Sinclair are great first-time parents.
Because African penguins are listed as Endangered by the IUCN, we’re celebrating this hatching as a conservation win for the species! This little one will remain behind the scenes with mom and dad for the next few weeks as they continue to grow, but you can meet the newest member of our flock in this latest Baby Bulletin, presented by SCL Health, now Intermountain Healthcare.
