Endangered Penguin Chick To Brighten Your Day
January 18, 2022
Paradise Wildlife Park is excited to announce the birth of an endangered African Penguin chick and there’s no better reason to smile this Blue Monday as they couldn’t be any cuter!
On the morning of 20th December, our bird keepers arrived to discover the newest addition to our penguin colony snuggled under the feathers of their parents Albert and Akiki. The chick has grown strong and healthy since birth under the careful watchful eye of its parents and the bird-keeping team. With the vet coming in soon for the first weight check, we are sure it will be a healthy number for sure!
The birth of the penguin chick brings our colony of African penguins to 17. With the parents Albert and Akiki doing exceptionally well in caring for their young. Here at Paradise Wildlife Park, our African penguins are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) a governing body aimed at protecting and conserving the health and genetic pools of endangered species. As currently recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) African penguins are listed as endangered due to changes in habitats and environment. This success within the breeding program is a positive moment within the zoo community and for their wild counterparts.
Paradise Wildlife Park supports and aids the conservation of endangered African penguins in the wild through the work of SANCCOB. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds; a registered non-profit organisation, whose primary objective is to reverse the decline of seabird populations through the rescue, rehabilitation and release of ill, injured, abandoned and oiled seabirds. With the hope that through their efforts and support of conservation charities penguins like many other species will be around for generations to come.