Aquarium welcomes third endangered penguin chick in lower than a month

Final December, employees at Journey Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, celebrated the arrival of two newly hatched African penguin chicks (Spheniscus demersus). Their births marked a giant second in conservation efforts for the critically endangered species, however much more excellent news was apparently on the way in which. 

Lower than a month after welcoming Duffy and Oscar to the flock, Journey Aquarium has introduced one other newcomer. However as a substitute of naming the power’s 53rd penguin themselves, aquarium handlers are turning to native guests for enter.

Journey Aquarium’s youngest penguin isn’t Duffy and Oscar’s youthful sibling, however the second hatchling from penguin mother and father Mushu and Hubert (for reference, Duffy and Oscar’s mother and father are named Myer and Cornelia). In an announcement, the power’s African penguin major biologist, Maddie Olszewski-Pohle mentioned she and her coworkers are “very excited” for the most recent addition.

“Each mother and father did an distinctive job feeding and caring for this chick, who’s the most important this season,” she added.

African penguin populations are dwindling due to the local weather disaster, however their wrestle began as a lot as 22,000 years in the past. The penguins flourished throughout 15 giant islands close to South Africa in the course of the Final Glacial Most interval, at level totalling as many as 18.8 million birds. Nonetheless, rising ocean ranges regularly submerged a lot of their habitat. Solely round 19,800 adults are estimated to dwell within the wild right this moment, and in 2024 the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Purple Listing reclassified African penguins from “Endangered” to “Critically Endangered.” Apart from habitat conservation, penguin properties together with Journey Aquarium, the Columbian Park Zoo in Indiana and Baltimore’s Maryland Zoo are instrumental in stabilizing the inhabitants.

For now, the employees at Journey Aquarium will look after the brand new chick together with Duffy and Oscar behind-the-scenes.. The trio will solely make their public debut as soon as they develop their protecting, waterproof feathers. Till then, Journey Aquarium guests are inspired to make their voices heard. A contribution to onsite donation bins benefitting each AZA SAFE African Penguins and The Southern African Basis for the Conservation of Coastal Birds will enable guests to the aquarium simply outdoors of Philadelphia to vote between considered one of 4 potential names: Scrappy, Zero, Flounder, and Toothless.

 

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