#Penguin chick to make debut at Aquarium of the Pacific

This yet to be named penguin hatched at the Aquarium of the Pacific on June 5. It will make its public debut Aug. 18. Photo courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific.

By Richard Guzman, Press-Telegram

Posted: 08/17/15

The baby penguin has been in a nursery for weeks. On Aug. 18 it will join its family and colony in the public exhibit. Photo courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific.

Penguin Chick Debut

When: 9 a.m. Aug. 18.
Where: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach.
Tickets: $14.95-$28.95.
Information: 562-590-3100, www.aquariumofpacific.org.

This is going to be a big week for one rambunctious little penguin at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The recently hatched chick has spent weeks in a nursery where it has been growing its watertight juvenile feathers, learned to swim, eat fish and is beginning to give its stuffed “momma” penguin trouble.

Now it will waddle out into the public eye for the first time and join its real parents, siblings and other members of the colony in the penguin habitat Aug. 18. “She’s a real personable bird, so I don’t think she’ll have a problem,” said Sara Mandel, one of the penguin keepers at the Aquarium.

The penguin will enter its permanent home in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat at 8 a.m. and the public will be able to see it explore its new environment and get to know the 19 other birds when the Aquarium opens at 9 a.m. It’s sure to be a big day for the entire colony since the other penguins will likely be curious about the new kid.

The chick will meet longtime residents like Henry, known as “the wise elder,” the oldest in the group who leads the pack during feeding time. The chick could get a lesson in the pecking order too when it meets others like Shim, the biggest penguin in the group; Patsy, the shy one, and Ludwig, who may be trouble since he’s known as the rowdiest penguin around.  “Usually when we add a new chick they think they’re really cool and the adults that are out there are like ‘no, no, no, this is my exhibit,’” Mandel said. “She’s going to have to figure out a certain path going in and out of the pool. The adults might be a little aggressive to her and that’s where I have to let them work it out, but I still have to be there.”

The Magellanic penguin chick hatched June 5 with a down layer of plumage that isn’t watertight. For its safety, the chick was removed from the nest after 25 days and taken to a nursery and fed by Aquarium personnel. The sex of the chick has yet to be determined and it’ll be named once handlers figure out if it’s a boy or girl, however, Mandel thinks the chick is a girl since it reminds her so much of the penguin’s older sister.

The chick represents the third generation of penguins born at the Aquarium. Four other penguins — Paddles, Jayde, Mattson and Skipper — hatched in 2014 and two others — Heidi and Anderson — hatched in 2013. The chick’s parents, Roxy and Floyd, will be there, too.

By all indications, the little penguin is ready to leave the nursery since it’s already rebelling against its surrogate mom. Mandel said the chick used to snuggle with the stuffed penguin in the nursery, but now she likes to slap it and beat it around all over the pen. “She’s becoming more and more independent,” said Mandel, who admits that right now she feels like an anxious mom as the bird she’s helped raise prepares to waddle out on her own.

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