The cutest chicks in town

The cutest chicks in town: Baby penguins the star attractions at Twycross zoo

By Daily Mail Reporter
19th May 2009

A pair of rarely-seen Humboldt penguin chicks are set to become the latest attraction at a zoo after staff decided to rear them by hand.

Described as 'utterly adorable' by keepers at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, the week-old penguins were taken from their nests to improve their chances of survival.

Zoo spokeswoman Kim Riley said the pair - named Ann and Barbara after members of the Twycross management team - were taken from separate nests just two days after they hatched because Humboldt penguins often only raise one chick if two eggs hatch.
Ms Riley said: 'What normally happens is that the parents will push out the weakling and will raise one chick, so we have taken one chick out of each nest.

'When they are three months old we will introduce them back to the parents.'

The penguins - which have been mistaken for ducklings - are being hand-fed a diet of herrings and vitamins five times a day, Ms Riley added.

Visitors will be able to see the chicks in the ape nursery at Twycross from Friday.

Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1184545/The-cutest-chicks-town-Baby-penguins-star-attractions-Twycross-zoo.html

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Twycross Zoo's Humboldt Penguin Chicks Debut Friday 22nd May

By Kim Riley

Twycross, UK - Making their debut appearance to the public on Friday 22nd May, are two, tiny adorable grey coloured hand reared Humboldt penguin chicks. Twycross Zoo have four in total, two chicks in each nest, one chick was taken out of each nest two days after they had hatched. Due to the inexperience of our adult birds Twycross Zoo is giving an extra helping hand by hand rearing these youngsters so that the remaining two chicks will stand a better chance of survival.

Originally the penguin was named after Alexander von Humboldt, but our cute chicks are named after members of our management team Ann and Barbara. The cute downy bundles are fed five times a day between 8 am and 6 pm through a small syringe. Ann and Barbara will take 15 mls of purified herring and vitamins in a saline solution each feed time; they will be introduced to solids when they are approximately three weeks old.

In the wild the chick care begins with parents alternating jobs of one sitting with the chick and the other hunting for food. After about two months, the chick would be left alone during the day while both parents search for food. Ann and Barbara will molt when they are about 70-90 days old, they will then lose their down feathers and these will be replaced with all grey adult feathers which become darker over time. They will reach sexual maturity when they are between 2 and 7 years old.

Ann and Barbara will use their strong wings as flippers, they will 'fly' underwater, usually just below the surface, at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, taking small herring and eating them whole. They will steer with their feet and tail. Their feathers will be stiff and overlap to waterproof and insulate their bodies. Like all penguins, they have excellent eyesight both underwater and on land.

In the wild Ann and Barbara would live mostly on the rocky mainland shores, especially near cliffs, or on islands off the coasts of Chile and Peru. They do not migrate as they prefer to reside in these pleasant waters all year round.

Ann and Barbara will live approximately 30 years at Twycross Zoo and will be very pleased to see all the school children and their adopters over the coming years.

To view Twycross Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-712-Twycross_zoo

Source:
http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-1473-Twycross_Zoos_Humboldt_Penguin_Chicks_Debut_Friday_22nd_May