COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A tiny, fluffy African penguin chick hatched at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! It was born on April 8, and the zoo says the little one is growing up big and strong.
The chick's care team has been monitoring and weighing it every few days. At 22 days old, the zoo says the chick weighs 983 grams. It weighed 82 grams on April 11.
The zoo says the little one is an important ambassador for African penguins because last year, the species was listed as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The zoo says the wild breeding pairs number is below 10,000, meaning if the trend continues, the birds could be extinct in the wild by 2035.
Since 2010, guests and members of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo have contributed more than $150,000 to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) in support of African penguin conservation.
In 2020, the zoo joined the AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) African Penguin program that is supported by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The chick is currently in the penguin building in Water's Edge Africa. It's usually snuggled in it's nest, however, guests might see it move around or hear it peeping.
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