Lincoln Park Zoo Reveals Endangered African Penguin Chick, Oliver
CHICAGO (CBS) - After sending a blood sample to a lab for genetic analysis, Lincoln Park Zoo announced the sex of the newest addition to Robert and Mayari Penguin Cove. The penguin chick is a boy.
The announcement comes on the same day as World Penguin Day.
After a 38-day incubation period, the chick hatched February 10, 2018 as part of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a collaborative population management effort among institutions within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The chick is the offspring of pair Robben, the female penguin, and Preston, the male penguin. The baby chick has been named Oliver by Lincoln Park Zoo Trustee Mayari Pritzker.
The zoo says bird keepers have been slowly introducing Oliver to the rest of the colony. Animal Care staff will soon give him the choice to explore a smaller portion of the exhibit. Oliver may be visible to the public intermittently as soon as this week, as he continues to adjust to the new space.
Keepers closely monitor the chick, his parents, and the other members of the colony during this process.
For more photos and videos of Oliver, visit lpzoo.org/penguinchickpress