Santa Barbara Zoo - First Humboldt Penguin Chick

The first Humboldt penguin ever hatched at the Santa Barbara Zoo emerged from its shell on June 8, 2009, and was foster-reared on exhibit at the Crawford Family Penguin House. Humboldt penguins are IUCN-listed as vulnerable in their native habitat along the Pacific coast of South America, from Peru to Chile.

Only two of the Zoo's 15 adult Humboldt penguins have a recommendation to breed under the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The pair arrived at the Zoo last year from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

The male chick weighed 90 grams the day after hatch, weighed 501 grams on June 18, and was 1300 grams on June 30.

Total world population of Humboldt penguins is around 12,000 breeding pairs and is currently in serious decline. The causes include over-fishing of their food supply, entanglement in fishing nets, commercial removal of the guano they use for burrows, and predation. There are worries that the species could become extinct within decades.

The penguin chick has been officially named and sponsored by the Dreier Family. His name is Karma.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Santa Barbara Zoo
• SB Zoo
• Humboldt penguins
• penguin chick
• baby penguin

[324lovelife]

How CUTE is he! Where is this? What's his name? and when was he hatched?

[SBPenguins]

His name is Karma and he is at the Santa Barbara Zoo on exhibit at the Crawford Family Penguin House! He hatched on June 8, 2009. He's about the size of the other adult penguins now, but you can tell which one he is due to his lighter/silvery juvenile feathers.

[tronkid03]

Thanks for putting the ScanLife codes at the zoo!