SYRACUSE -- There is a new member of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo family.
One of the three baby Humboldt penguins born a few weeks ago was introduced for the first time Wednesday.
County Executive Joanie Mahoney had the honor of naming one of the baby penguins.
“I know that the first one that was born is a little girl. I have been given the honor of picking her name and I have picked the name ‘Lucia’,” Mahoney said. “Lucia” means “light.”
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The zoo plans to hold a contest to name the two remaining baby penguins. Zoo director Ted Fox says previous contests to name new born penguins at the zoo have been a big hit with the public.
“We've gotten hundreds of names from school groups to individuals to people in Argentina and Australia and Europe. It’s always just a fun contest,” Fox says.
There are 35 Humboldt penguins at the Rosemond Gifford Zoo, but their numbers are declining in the wild. The zoo hopes in some small way the three baby penguins born here will help increase their numbers.
“Our original colony back in 2005 when we opened penguin cove was 19 birds that came from all different zoos across the country and we've had a successful breeding program. Since than we've raised 43 chicks here,” Fox says.
Little Lucia will be the 44 penguin chick raised at the zoo and as any SU fan will tell you, 44 is a good number to have in this town.
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