Round of applause for Scampi and Flounder
Two same-sex Humboldt penguins are raising a chick that was rejected by its parents at Chester Zoo.
Back in April, another pair named Wotsit and Peach had 10 of their eggs hatch, but Scampi and Flounder were forced to step in and look after one of them.
The newborns are undergoing regular weighs-in and are said to be just ‘days away’ from their first swimming lessons.
Team manager at the zoo, Zoe Sweetman, had this to say of the situation: “10 chicks hatching in one season marks a bumper year for the penguins here. It’s fantastic news for the species and a brilliant success for the international conservation breeding programme.
“The fluffy new arrivals are all being looked after brilliantly by their parents, having nearly quadrupled in size since they first emerged. They’re now days away from a really exciting milestone – their very first swimming lessons, which is always a thrill to witness as they dive into the pool for the very first time.”
These flightless baby birds began hatching between April 16-28 and spent their first few weeks nestled away in their burrows.
Eight celestial names were given to them: Ursa, Alcyone, Quasar, Orion, Dorado, Cassiopeia, Altair and Xena.
“In what has been one of our long standing traditions, each year we pick a fun theme to help name our chicks, which helps us keep track of who is who now that there are 63 penguins in the colony,” added Sweetman.
“This year we’ve gone with a celestial theme for naming the chicks and we’ve had a lot of fun coming up with names inspired by stars, constellations and cosmic wonders. But we’ve saved the final two names for the public, who can help us choose via the zoo’s social media channels.”
Out of the 17 species of penguin, the rare Humboldt – found across Chile and Peru – is one of the most at risk of extinction according to International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
