Two African penguin chicks have recently hatched at the California
Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, officials
announced Tuesday.
The gray, fluffy chicks hatched just days apart on November 1 and
November 4 and are nesting with their parents, the academy said.
The chicks the size of a tea cup will go through "fish school" where
they will learn to become proficient swimmers and get comfortable with
eating hand-fed fish. Once they are ready they will join the penguin
colony on exhibit in late January.
The academy's new chicks are the second and third to be hatched as part
of its Species Survival Plan program. In January 2013, the academy
hatched its first chick since moving into its new Golden Gate Park
facility in 2008.
African penguins were classified as an endangered species in 2010 and are at very high risk of extinction in the wild. "By engaging the public about why sustaining these and other threatened
species is so critical, we hope to inspire people around the world to
join us by supporting conservation efforts locally and internationally,"
said Bart Shepherd, Director of the Academy's Steinhart Aquarium.
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