It was a joyous day at the Maryland Zoo yesterday as they celebrated the birth of eight African penguin chicks. The birth of baby animals is always something to celebrate, but even more so when the animals are critically endangered, as these penguins are.
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Maryland Zoo Celebrates Birth Of African Penguin Chicks
The Maryland Zoo is keeping hope alive with the birth of these African penguin chicks. The zoo’s website shares alarming facts about its declining population. They write that “The African penguin is a critically-endangered species whose population has declined by 90% since the turn of the 20th century.”
Today, “The current wild population is estimated at about 52,000 birds.” Unsurprisingly, humans are one of the main contributing factors to this species’ decline. However, some good humans like the zookeepers at the Maryland Zoo are also helping to bring them back.
PEOPLE shared that on Monday, Dec. 8, the Maryland Zoo rejoiced over the birth of eight new African penguin chicks. Additionally, the outlet shared that the zookeepers got the privilege of naming the new chicks.
Cuteness Overload
After sharing an adorable image slideshow of the chicks, the Maryland Zoo also shared that the baby penguins are being named after fruit and vegetables this year. “The first two names announced by the Zoo today are: Kiwi and Cayenne.” While those were the only names released so far, more names will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The zoo makes a valiant effort to try to protect the African penguins and prevent their numbers from dropping further. On their website, they share that ” Volunteers from The Maryland Zoo traveled to South Africa to help with the rescue and rehabilitation effort initiated by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.”
Additionally, this zoo hosts the largest colony of African penguins in North America. They share that “since 1967, more than 1,000 African penguins have hatched at the zoo.”
