Posted: 03.07.2013
SYRACUSE --
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo announced the hatching of a female Humboldt penguin chick on Thursday.
Onondaga
County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney joined the zoo staff at a news
conference introducing the first penguin hatching of the year. She
invited first graders from All Saints Elementary and children at the zoo
to select the chick’s name from three options from the zoo staff.
Three options were: Elisa, Francisca and Magdelena. The children chose to name the penguin chick Magdelena, which translates to Maggie into English.
The zoo says it selected potential Hispanic names to reflect the penguins’ Latin American origins.
"Our
zoo continues to play an important role in conserving this endangered
species," said Ted Fox, zoo director. "Penguins from our colony will
travel to other zoos and aquariums to ensure that our efforts continue
to populate the species."
Humboldt
penguins are named after the Humboldt Current, according to the zoo,
which is a cold nutrient-rich ocean current that flows along the west
coast of South America. They are endangered with only 12,000 to 30,000
remaining in the wild.
There are currently 34 penguins in the colony at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. There were five hatchings at the zoo last year.
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