Humboldt Penguins Hatch

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Another heartwarming story about the hatching of Humboldt penguin chicks at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois. Last month four penguin chicks hatches and were artificially incubated. The penguin parents are given artificial eggs to care for and then the real eggs are returned to them once they begin to hatch. Three of the Humboldt penguin chicks were given to foster parents to raise. Within the captive population, the breeding of Humboldt penguins is carefully monitored. By letting the chicks be fostered it lets the parents practice their nurturing skill and will care for the chicks up to when they're 70 to 80 days old. At this point in the wild, the penguin parents would go off to sea and feed, At the zoo, the chicks are taken by care staff until they reach a certain weight and this makes it an easier transition for both the adults and the chicks The Brookfield Zoo takes part in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Humboldt Penguin Species Survival Plan. At present, the zoo has 34 Humboldt penguins living in a coastal habitat. In the wild these penguins are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List and as far as researchers know there are only 24,000 Humboldt penguins still living in the wild. Google image from the Chicago Zoological Society