Penguin chicks make debut today at Science Center (video)

Five juvenile African penguins were added to the flock at the Greensboro Science Center’s Carolina SciQuarium, on Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, in Greensboro, N.C. JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ/News & Record

 

JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ/News & Record

Posted on Feb 23, 2015

by Susan Ladd

The baby boom continues at the Greensboro Science Center’s Carolina SciQuarium, with five more African penguin chicks getting ready to join the flock.
Males Brady and Jordy and females Raven, Keuchly and Wangari will be introduced to Penguin Point today.

Raven, born Oct. 29, could have joined the adult penguins earlier, but the keepers held her back until some of the other chicks were old enough to go out with her.

Pecking order is no joke in penguin colonies, and the young ones get picked on more if they don’t have clutch mates. “Chicks typically stay together and form their own hierarchy, which means they help each other from getting picked on too much by older birds,” senior keeper Carmen Murray said.

Visitors can see the new penguins starting at 9 a.m.

If you would like to help preserve penguin populations in the wild, pair your visit to the SciQuarium with dinner at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Between 4 and 8 p.m. today, Chipotle at 1420 Westover Terrace will donate 50 percent of its proceeds to the science center. Those donations will be dedicated to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), which works for the preservation of African penguins.

In fact, eat two burritos while you’re there. You can work them off by training for the center’s second annual Tuxedo Trot: Run for the Penguins, to be held April 25, World Penguin Day.

The pair are the SciQuarium's first African penguins to successfully hatch at the center.

When making a purchase at this location during the fundraiser, diners must do one of the following to support the cause:

1. Bring in the flyer, available at the GSC’s Admissions Window and Information Desk.

2. Show the flyer on their smartphone, available on the GSC’s website: www.greensboroscience.org

3. Or simply tell the cashier you wish to support the GSC.

And when you visit the science center, take a look at the amazing attraction being built in the treetops. SkyWild fitness adventure course should be ready by the time the weather is once again hospitable for outdoor adventures.

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Lots more images here!