African penguins have become an endangered species, due to oil spills and other ecological disasters that have damaged their fragile ecosystem.
For this reason it's a breath of fresh air to see a new penguin recently hatched that is now joining its dwindling species in a world that welcomes it as a new member.
The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn. reported on Tuesday, March 19 that its first endangered African penguin chick was born on March 2.
The zoo believes this to be a "significant achievement," having opened its 3M Penguins of the African Coast exhibit in 2011.
The gender of the adorable and cuddly little gray penguin is not yet known and is at the moment being raised by "behind-the-scenes foster parents," says the zoo. This means that because the biological parents of the penguin were not correctly incubating the egg, the little tike was given over to an "experienced pair" to handle it.
The zoo reports the chick is doing very well and has grown from 2.4 ounces to more than one pound, six ounces. The zoo can expect the chick to grow to be approximately 26-28 inches tall and weigh between six and nine pounds.
In the video, a bird supervisor at the zoo explains how excited the facility is about the hatching. She goes to say that once the penguin is three weeks old, it will be reared by a handler who will help guide the gray bird into the life of an education-purposed zoo animal.
The bird supervisor finally suggests that anyone interested should check back on occasion, as the zoo will be updating viewers with video blogs showing the further development of the penguin.
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