Trio of #penguin chicks hatch at Longleat

By LJGillespie  |  Posted: November 03, 2015

 

         Trio of penguin chicks hatch at Longleat

Staff at Longleat have been cooing over three new arrivals. The wildlife park has witnessed the birth of a trio of penguin chicks. The chicks are said to be doing well. Longleat in Wiltshire is home to a colony of captive-bred Humboldt penguins who live on Penguin Island which features a 225,000-litre diving pool.

 

Keeper Lucy Jacobmeyer said: "Although they are all first-time parents, the adults are doing incredibly well. Parents Paula and Nick are looking after two chicks and Eusebir and Princess have one chick. "Apart from taking them out to check their weight we have very much left them to get on with things and they are coping brilliantly. The nesting areas mimic those in the wild and definitely seem to be working well and there are a number of other pairs currently sitting on eggs which we hope will start to hatch out very soon."

Originally from South America, the Humboldt penguin is found in and around coastal Peru and Chile.
The penguin gets its name from the cold water current it swims in, which was discovered by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt.

Humboldt penguins reach a maximum height of 70 cm and weigh up to six kilograms. They are now officially listed as 'Vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature which means they are at immediate or imminent risk of becoming endangered.

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