Penguin Chick Born at Little Rock Zoo

Editors Note: This event was from 2012. More details about the Little Rock Zoo can be found at littlerockzoo.com.

Good news! According to the folks at the Little Rock Zoo, the zoo has hatched its first penguin chick. The chick, which has not been named as of yet,  was hatched on Oct. 30. The zoo, which is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is located at 1 Jonesboro Drive.  According to details via a news release:

Penguin parents Skipper and Easy are taking good care of the chick, according to Zoo staff, who says both parents are helping to keep the chick warm and feed it regurgitated fish.

The chick will be off exhibit until it is weaned when it is around 70 days old or if the parents allow it to wander out of the nest box.

Zoo staff say the chick is growing fast and is of normal weight for its age. On the second day after the chick hatched it weighed in at only 54 grams. As of yesterday, only three weeks later, the chick now weighs 943 grams. The chick will continue to gain weight until it is full grown at around 3.4 kilograms.

The chick is healthy and eating well according to Zoo staff who regularly monitor the chick and its parents.

The sex of the chick has yet to be determined and the chick has yet to be named.

The hatching of this chick was at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the African penguin to ensure the long-term survival of endangered and threatened animals.