Two endangered African penguins born in Racine | Local News
Two healthy African penguin chicks hatched on March 6 and 8, respectively, at the Racine Zoo to parents Robin and Linus.
A zookeeper at the Racine Zoo interacts with two newborn penguins.
Two healthy African penguin chicks hatched on March 6 and 8, respectively, at the Racine Zoo to parents Robin and Linus.
RACINE — Racine Zoo staff announced that two healthy African penguin chicks hatched at the Zoo on March 6 and 8, respectively, to parents Robin and Linus.
The chicks have been growing quickly, and are already over five times the size they were when they were first hatched.
Summers
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome these new birds into the world, and to share the exciting news,” said Aszya Summers, curator of Animal Care and Conservation Education at the Racine Zoo. “African penguins are endangered and face a variety of threats in the wild, and each penguin has an important role to play in the conservation of their species.”
Heidorn
“The African penguin chicks are doing well and their parents are doing a great job caring for them,” said Beth Heidorn, executive director.
The Racine Zoo is a member of the African Penguin Species Survival Program, working alongside other accredited AZA zoos and aquariums to ensure healthy African penguin populations both in zoos and in the wild. African penguins face threats from overfishing, oil spills, loss of habitat, overexploitation for food and climate change.
“The Racine Zoo has been diligently cultivating our African penguin breeding program over the years,” Heidorn said. “With the announcement of our new African penguin chicks in 2021, we are especially proud to be making a positive long-term impact on African penguin populations, especially as wild populations decline.”
