Calgary Zoo welcomes Humboldt penguin chick

A Humboldt penguin chick is the latest addition to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

The penguin chick hatched on June 5, according to the zoo, to parents Inca and Enrique. Both parents were also born at the zoo, in 2017.

Colleen Baird, interim associate director of animal care at the zoo, says the chick has caused quite some excitement at the Penguin Plunge exhibit.

"This little chick is just this wonderful, cute addition to the whole colony. And it's just such an enriching moment," she said. 

"Other penguins are like, 'What's going on over in that nest?' And it's just this wonderful moment where the whole species of Humboldts are interested in what's happening."

The sex of the penguin has not yet been confirmed, the zoo said, although staff have been monitoring the chick's condition. It did well in its initial health check, weighing an "impressive" 855 grams, the zoo stated in a Facebook post. 

"[W]e are thrilled to see these longtime partners welcome their first successful chick and contribute to the future of their species for generations to come," the post read.

"Our Humboldt penguins are part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP) that will help to ensure the genetic diversity of their species."

Baird says the animal care staff check on the chick at least once or twice a day. They also weigh the bird periodically to check if its weight is increasing on a normal trajectory. 

"We're feeding the parents. So, we want to make sure mom is getting enough food because they feed the penguins," Baird said. "They eat the fish and then they will regurge that to the penguin chick."

Zoo officials have not yet decided a name for the chick, according to Baird.

Species at high risk of extinction

Since its birth, the chick has spent its time with its parents in a constructed burrow at the Penguin Plunge exhibit.

Baird says zoo staff built the artificial burrow out of various materials, including grass, dirt, and plastic structures similar to dog kennels.

Humboldt penguins typically spend several months in their burrows after birth, so the new little chick likely won't meet the rest of its penguin colony until early August, according to Baird.

"The chick is pretty vulnerable. They can't walk, move very well. They're just developing their fluffy little baby feathers, which they will molt out to get their adult feathers," she said.

While visitors to the zoo may not be able to see the chick for some time, they may be able to hear the chick, as it's been "showing off its strong lungs by calling out early in the day," the zoo said in its Facebook post.

Baird said that even ahead of August, visitors might be able to catch a glimpse of the chick if they're lucky. 

"Our animal care professionals they may be taking a sneak peek. They may need to do a cleaning moment, or they might be doing a weight. So, [visitors] might get a sneak peek if some of those events are happening," she said.

Humboldt penguins are native to Chile and Peru, according to the zoo's website. They have a vulnerable conservation status, meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

The Wilder Institute says it works with local conservation groups in the penguins' habitats to teach fishermen how to protect the coastlines and penguin populations. The zoo itself has about 12 Humboldt penguins, according to Baird.