Brookfield Zoo welcomes new Humboldt penguin hatchling
CHICAGO (CBS) – A pair of Humboldt penguins are new parents to a chick that hatched last month at Brookfield Zoo.
The chick hatched on Feb. 2 and is said to be growing fast, according to staff.
Parents 14-year-old Divot, who was also hatched at Brookfield, and 21-year-old Rosy who came to the zoo in 2013 are parents to their second offspring.
In the wild, Humboldt penguin parents typically stay and care for their chicks until they're around 70 to 90 days old. The adults then leave the breeding ground and go off to sea, leaving their young to fend for themselves. At Brookfield Zoo, when a chick reaches a certain weight, animal care staff would then take over.
Brookfield Zoo, which has 30 Humboldt penguins in breeding and non-breeding colonies, is one of 20 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions to care for the species.
Humboldt penguins are vulnerable in their native habitat along the western coast of South America near Peru and Chile, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The penguin population, which researchers estimate is less than 24,000, continues to decline due to several factors including climate change and severe weather, human encroachment, energy production mining, and pollutants among other threats.
Guests can see the Humboldt penguins at Brookfield Zoo's Living Coast habitat. The zoo also offers two programs; Penguin Encounter, where participants can mingle with and possibly touch a penguin, and Penguin Feeding Adventure which provides the opportunity to feed the birds.