The pppp-patter of tiny feet as new baby penguin is hatched at Folly Farm

• May 22, 2014 
• By Cathy Owen

Just one year after the pack of 24 Humboldt Penguins arrived at Folly Farm, two of its newest residents have become the proud parents of a newly hatched penguin chick.

Exactly one year after meeting penguins Donna and Diavlo have become the proud parents of the first baby penguin to be born at Folly Farm.

The fluffy grey youngster, hatched on Tuesday – one year to the day that the penguins were released into their new enclosure at the park, will now spend the coming weeks being cared for by its parents – with the help of the penguin keepers. It will then be enrolled into penguin school, where it will learn how to eat and fend for itself.

Donna and Diavlo were one of the first sets of penguins to pair off and build a nest together back in February.

Catrin Thomas, penguin keeper at the Pembrokeshire open farm, said: “We are so excited to have our first penguin chick at the park. We all feel like proud parents and are so happy for Donna and Diavlo. We haven’t named the chick yet as we do not know what sex it is but once we do we will give it a suitable name – it may have to begin with ‘D’ though to follow in its parents footsteps.”

Fellow Penguin Keeper, Caroline Davies, added: “We hope this is just the start of a deluge of chicks in our Humboldt penguin enclosure. We currently have ten eggs being incubated by our penguin brood so are anticipating the arrival of more any day now.”

In the first few weeks of their lives the keepers will need to be extremely hands-on with the chicks to make sure the new parents and their offspring get off to the best possible start.

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