By Heather Graves
Correspondent
SUAMICO – This month’s Animals of the Month are the NEW Zoo’s newest African penguin chicks, and at just 2 1/2 months old, these two little fluff balls already have quite the story.
Both chicks, which hatched in mid-November, were laid by the same penguin, Cari.
But even before they hatched, the brothers were raised by two different sets of parents.
“Cari had actually hatched a chick here years ago so she’s been a mom before, but Lenny was an inexperienced parent,” said Carmen Murach, curator of animals at the NEW Zoo. “They had two eggs to take care of. Lenny was a little confused by the whole thing. When the second egg was laid, he didn’t seem sure about where it should be. He was sitting next to it, instead of on it. In the meantime, we had another pair – Gilligan and Doodle – who did not have a breading recommendation this year because they had hatched chicks a couple years ago, but they were really wanting to be parents again.”
Murach said Gilligan, who was often referred to as a super dad, was actually incubating a rock at the time the eggs were laid.
“So we decided that it would be better for Lenny and Cari to only have one egg to deal with, and gave the other egg to Gilligan and Doodle,” she said. “They fostered that egg. So although these two chicks are brothers, they have different parents. Both families have been doing well. The chicks know each other and spend time together.”
The duo aren’t ready to swim with the big birds quite yet, as they are still shedding their baby fluff making way for their juvenile feathers.
Murach said that will continue to happen over the next several weeks and then it’s into the water for swimming lessons.
“And they still don’t have the markings of an adult bird, and they won’t have them until they are about a year-and-a-half old,” she said.
Zookeepers have already noticed differences in the chicks’ personalities.
Murach said one chick is more adventurous and quickly adjusting to new experiences.
While the other is more timid, and more inclined to hang back and soak it all in – but at the same time isn’t afraid to use his beak (yes, bite) to explore the world around him.
In the wild, African penguins can be found living in large colonies in Namibia and South Africa.
Of the 17 species of penguins around the world, African penguins are among the most endangered – which is why Murach said the work of accredited zoos and aquariums with African penguin conservation is so important.
“It’s very important to us,” she said. “Not only are we trying to help the species by helping with the captive breading program, and educating people and making people care, but we also want to be directly involved in the conservation for the birds in the wild that are still out there and definitely need some help.”
To show their continued support for penguin conservation, the zoo is holding a naming contest for the newest penguins.
Each dollar donated to penguin conservation will represent one vote for a set of names.
Zookeepers have narrowed down the choices to three sets of names:
• Clark and Eddie (from the movie “Christmas Vacation”).
• Gilbert and Linus (in honor of the Zoo’s veterinarian, Dr. Gilbert).
• Raul and Marco (inspired by penguins in books and movies).
Votes can be made in person at the zoo or online at newzoo.org, and will be accepted until the end of February.
The winning pair will be announced on the NEW Zoo’s Facebook page.
“The contest gives us a chance to get people engaged and interested in what’s going on at the zoo,” Murach said.
She said so far it looks like Gilbert and Linus are the most popular.
Zookeepers don’t know how long the two chicks will remain at the NEW Zoo.
“At some point, they will probably go off to other places to join mates of their own, or mates will join them here,” she said. “But that is in the future.”
With the addition of the newest chicks, the zoo is now home to 18 African penguins.